118 



THE YOUNG NATURALIST. 



error. In the last article under this head I 

 gave some account of one of these protean j 

 species Apamea oculea, I now propose to 

 take the insect that stands next in most of j 

 our lists, Miana strigilis. This species is con- 

 siderably smaller than oculea, expanding only 1 

 one inch, or very little more. It is so 

 variable that Haworth named no less than > 

 four forms of it, as distinct species, but there : 

 is nothing like the extreme diversity of mark- 

 ing that is found in oculea ; the pattern being 

 always the same, and the color only, making 

 the differences. It has the usual noctua 

 markings, but the darkest form is nearly an 

 uniform brownish black, the lines and stigma j 

 showing but faintly. In the darkest speci- 

 men I have there is a perfectly black dash 

 below the stigma, and connecting the inner 

 and elbowed lines. This black dash is very ; 

 characteristic of Strigilis, being found in all 

 the varieties, and in most of specimens. I 

 described a similar mark in the variety I- 

 nirjer of Oculea, and it appears again in other j 

 species, — P. chi, for instance. This darkest j 

 variety of Strigilis was called JEtliiops by 

 Haworth. In the next form the space beyond 

 the elbowed line is paler than in JEtliiops, \ 

 and the portion of the elbowed line below the 

 black dash is quite white, the space between j 

 the lines is more mottled than in the darker ' 

 form, and the insect generally is browner. 

 This is Haworth's latruncula. Of course j 

 there are specimens intermediate tfetween the 

 forms here described, and a regular gradation 

 might easily be made, from the very paler | 

 varieties yet to be mentioned, to the nearly | 

 black JElhiops. If such a series were formed .j 

 it would be found that the chief change ; were J 

 brought about, by the space beyond the 

 elbowed line becoming paler more r tpidly 

 than the space between the lines or ..earer : 

 the base. Following the last described form, 

 the next has more of the elbowed line white, 

 and in some specimens nearly all the space | 

 between it and the subterminal line is white I 

 also, or whitish grey, sometimes with a rosy 

 flush. The space between the lines and 



nearer the base is paler than before, and 

 more mottled, but looks darker from contrast 

 with these much lighter shades, the black 

 dash between the lines is nearly always 

 distinct. In this variety the lower half of 

 the inner line is often as white as the lower 

 half of the elbowed line is in latruncula. This 

 distinctly marked form is the type of the 

 species, and is the strigilis of Haworth. Some 

 specimens occur in which the central portion 

 of the wing is much browner in hue, and, so 

 far as we have seen, these brown specimens 

 rarely have the hind portion of the wing so 

 white, as when the centre is blacker. The 

 palest form of the species is almost as pretty 

 as the last one. In it, all the lines are white, 

 margined with black ; the darker portions of 

 the wing are very pale grey brown, and 

 though the paler portion does not contrast so 

 vividly with it, it is quite as distinctly white 

 as in the type. This form is the prjeduncula of 

 Haworth. 



We are aware of the difficulty cf describing 

 in words the marking and hue of an insect, 

 but if our readers will take a long series of 

 this species, and, without any reference to 

 markings, arrange them in a row, with the 

 darkest at the top, and the palest at the 

 bottom, they will find they have arranged 

 them in the order in which we have described 

 them, and they will have no difficulty in 

 separating the forms, and connecting them 

 by intermediate gradations. There is no 

 other species that can readily be mistaken 

 for this. The difficulty is solely in the 

 diversity of the species itself, but a 

 careful study of the marks will always guide 

 you right. Too little attention is given by 

 beginners to minute detail, and if they think 

 they know an insect by its general appearance, 

 they do not care to examine it more carefully. 

 To such we would recommend this' species, 

 and that last named under this head, and 

 they will learn themselves more, in a couple 

 of hours careful examination and comparison, 

 than we could teach them in any number of 

 articles. 



