THE ENTOMOLOGISTS 
WEEKLY INTELLIGENCER. 
No. 131.] 
A POSER. 
Is Agrotis lunigera a northern variety 
of Agrolis Trux ? 
Nine-tenths of our readers never 
heard of Agrotis Trux , because it is 
a European species not occurring in 
Britain. Few of our Continental 
readers ever saw Agrotis lunigera, be- 
cause it is a British species not oc- 
curring on the Continent; but how if 
one be only the form of the other? 
Who is to decide? 
Fine series of Agrotis Trux may be 
seen in most collections in France 
and Germany ; fine series of Agrotis 
lunigera may be seen in many a 
British collection. But where in the 
whole world is to be found a collec- 
tion which contains an extensive series 
of both the so-called species ? 
Clearly there is something wrong 
here. A question, a simple question, 
is started, and the collective wisdom 
of all the Lepidopterists in Europe 
is at fault; the hounds have lost 
scent ! 
The Flora of the Mediterranean 
straggles through the Straits of Gib- 
raltar, coasts along the west of Spain 
[Price Id. 
and France, and enters the British 
Channel, turning up occasionally on 
points of our South-western Coast. 
Mediterranean insects may naturally 
be expected to follow in the track 
of the Mediterranean Flora. Hadena 
peregrina, a Mediterranean Noctua, was 
taken at large in the Isle of Wight. 
Agrotis Trux is a Mediterranean in- 
sect, and should be expected on our 
Southern Coast, where Agrotis lunigera 
occurs ! 
We are not expressing any opinion 
one way or other on the subject. 
M. Guenee has observed “ that Luni- 
gera was very close to Trux, though 
differing in appearance, and he would 
not undertake to say that it might 
not some day be recognised as a 
northern form of Trux ; ” but what we 
do want to impress upon our readers 
is that a simple question is asked, 
which, owing to the peculiar isolation 
of our British collectors, there is no 
possibility of answering satisfactorily. 
If Madeiran insects are not allowed 
to leave the island, and if a similar re- 
striction on the insects of the Canaries 
prevails at Santa Cruz, how can the 
insects of the two groups of islands be 
compared ? 
SATURDAY, APRIL 2, 1859 
B 
