THE YOUNG NATURALIST. 



215 



the head of this article are all so very nearly 

 alike in their markings that with the first 

 pair endless mistakes have arisen. In 

 my desire to possess Scrophularice I have 

 for several years written to every collector 

 who offered the species in Exchange in any 

 of the Magazines, but I invariably received 

 Verbasci instead of the insect I wanted. 

 The cause of this mistake on the part of so 

 many collectors is easily explained, and 

 when explained, shows how difficult must be 

 the separation of the perfect insects. If 

 this article is unable to make that separation 

 easy, it will, I hope do something towards 

 preventing the continued sending out of 

 Verbasci under the name of Scrophularics. 



The markings of the four species are very 

 different from the ordinary markings of the 

 Noctuce. There are neither well defined 

 discoidal stigmata nor the usual lines. The 

 long narrow pointed wings of the genus, 

 have in these four species a darker stripe 

 along the costa, another along the inner 

 margin, and often a third streak from the 

 middle of the hind margin, running towards 

 the centre of the wing. The elbowed line 

 appears as two pale crescents in the middle 

 of the streak on the inner margin. In colour 

 the first three are ochreous, with dark brown 

 streaks. Asteris is slaty grey and the 

 stigmata are easily seen, though not clearly 

 outlined. Thus by colour alone we may at 

 once separate one of the four, leaving us 

 three others to deal with. These three it 

 must be admitted are exceedingly difficult 

 to distinguish in the perfect state, when we 

 have even bred specimens before us, and it 

 will be readily understood that to give 

 distinct differences in words is almost 

 impossible. It seems generally understood 

 that the first two, Verbasci and Scrophularice, 

 are the most closely allied. Undoubtedly 

 they are so in the larva state, but the imago 

 of Verbasci is larger and very much redder 

 in hue than is that of Scrophularics. To 

 begin with size, the smallest Verbasci I 



possess measures i" 9"' in expanse. My 

 largest Scrophularics is just a shade less, 

 while my smallest example is only i" 5"'. 

 The costal streak of Verbasci is dark Red 

 brown, rather wide and gradually shading 

 off to the ground colour, more titan half of 

 the rcing being shaded with reddish brown. In 

 Scrophularics, the costal streak is black 

 brown, rather narrow and tolerably well 

 defined, more than half of the central por- 

 tion of the wing being of the pale ground 

 colour. The streak on the inner margin may 

 be described in the same way, being red 

 brown in Verbasci and black brown in 

 Scrophularics . If we now turn to Lych- 

 nitis, we find that it more closely resembles 

 Scrophularics than does Verbasci It is simi- 

 lar in size, averaging about 1" 6"' in expanse 

 of wing, and the streaks on the costa and 

 inner margin are black brown. The costal 

 streak is very narrow, well defined, and of 

 very equal width. The streak on the inner 

 margin is also narrow, especially towards the 

 base of the wing. I would therefore briefly 

 discriminate between the three species 

 thus: — 



Verbasci, expanding an inch and three- 

 quarters or more, with broad ill defined 

 red brown costal streak. Less than a fourth 

 of the wing below the centre of the pale 

 ground colour. 



Scrophularics, expanding from under an 

 inch and a half to about an inch and three- 

 quarters ; rather narrow, and tolerably well 

 defined black brown costal streak. More 

 than half of the central portion of the wing 

 of the pale ground colour. 



Lychnitis. Same expanse as the last, 

 narrow well defined black brown costal 

 streak, scarcely extending below the sub- 

 costal nervure. Fully two-thirds of the 

 central poHion of the wing of the pale 

 ground colour. 



It is only right to say that the compari- 

 sons made above of Scropularics are from 

 nine European specimens of that insect in 



