104 J. W. ELLIS: LANCASHIRE AND CHESHIRE BOMBYCES. 



Fam. ARCTIID^. 

 DEIOPEIA, Curt. 



Deiopeia pulchella, L. Only two specimens of this very scarce species 

 have been recorded from the district. One of these, a female, 

 was taken in the railway coal-yard at Middleton Station, Sep- 

 tember 8th, 187 1 (J. Thorpe, Ent. Mo. Mag., viii, xn, and 

 Ent., v, 412), and Mr. Hodgkinson records a specimen in his 

 collection taken at Marple. 



EUCHELIA, Boisd. 



Enchelia jacobsese, L. Occurs in profusion all along the Lancashire 

 coast sandhills, where the plants of ragwort are often eaten to 

 the root by the swarms of larvae. It occurs occasionally on the 

 Cheshire sandhills, as at Wallasey (W.G., J. CM.), and more 

 rarely still, inland, as Delamere (J.C.) and Chester (A.O.W.). 



In the collection of the late Alfred Owen, of Maghull, is a 

 specimen of the very rare aberration in which the crimson colour 

 is replaced by yellow. The specimen is probably a Lancashire 

 one. 



NEMEOPHILA, Steph. 



Nemeophila russula, L. Almost confined to moss and moor-lands. 

 Chat Moss (J.B.H., W.J.) ; Rixton Moss (N.C.) ■ Carrington 

 Moss (J.C, J.C.M.) ; Barton Moss (J.C): Delamere and East 

 Cheshire (A.O.W.); Hale (C.S.G.) ; Silverdale (J.C.M.). 

 Nemeophila plantaginis L. Occurs on the Lancashire heaths and 

 mosses. I have no record of its occurrence in Cheshire. 



Blackstone Edge, Staleybridge, Rudd Heath (J.C); Chat 

 Moss (W.J.); Longridge, near Preston (J.B.H.) ; Silverdale, 

 common (J.C.M., J.B.H.). 



ARCTIA, Schrank. 



Arctia caja, L. Abundant everywhere. 



Many interesting aberrations have been obtained in the 

 district, and are in local collections. Among these may be 

 mentioned a specimen in the cabinet of Mr. S. J, Capper, 

 which was bred by Mr. Lello, in which the fore-wings are nearly 

 unicolorous cream ; and a specimen in the collection of Mr. W. 

 Johnson, in which the fore-wings are suffused with brown, and 

 the scarlet of the hind-wings becomes replaced by tawny yellow. 

 Both these are figured in Mosley's Varieties, Arctia, pi. ii. 



Mr. Gregson's collection is singularly rich in varieties of this 

 species. 



Naturalist 



