32 
Shetland specimens possess this in a marked degree ” {in lift.). The 
true festiva as well as conflua occurs in the Shetland Isles. 
We may now consider them separately, (i) Noctua, Linn., festively 
Hb. Under this name I include all our British forms except the 
conflua from the Shetland Isles. The variation in ground colour 
extends from a pale whitish-grey to a deep red, and in markings from 
exceedingly well-developed black quadrate marks between the stigmata 
and beyond the orbicular, as in figs. 2 and 3 of Newman’s British 
Moths, p. 348, to a total absence of any dark markings whatever. 
The conflua , as figured in Newman’s British Moths , p. 349, are only 
small specimens of festiva , and not the true conflua of Treitschke. 
The species is polymorphic, and it is only possible in the most 
general way to classify the forms we get. Some of the specimens 
from northern localities have a strong tendency to develop a 
glaucous shade, whilst others from exposed localities and moorland 
districts, have a tendency to be dwarfed in size, although in our 
southern woods, there are frequently very small specimens captured. 
One rarely sees at large, such fine large specimens as some of the 
North London collectors supply us with for our cabinets, and one 
only sees occasionally from our southern woods such deep red-brown 
specimens as are obtained near Perth. The Aberdeen specimens some¬ 
times tend to reddish-brown, but this is of a rare occurrence. Hiibner’s 
type may be described as follows :—“The anterior wings slaty-grey at the 
base, the extreme outer- margin pale red to the subterminal line, the 
colour then becomes dark red from this line to midway between the 
stigmata; the transverse lines grey, the reniform outlined in grey, the 
orbicular pale pinkish. Hind wings dull grey, fringe red, a dark shade 
on hind margin, transverse line and dark lunule ” (Sammlung europ. 
Schmet., fig. 114). This type has no trace of black markings on the 
anterior wings. In general variation, we are first struck with the range 
of colour, which is very great, although not so extensive as in some 
other species in the same genus. The great mass of specimens are 
coloured with whitish-grey, yellow-ochreous or red, extending in some 
specimens (principally Scotch ones) to bright reddish-brown, of the same 
shade as in N. rubi var. quadratum of Hiibner, to v T hich some speci¬ 
mens bear more than a superficial resemblance. Two other (almost 
purely Scotch) forms occur, one, of a deep grey, the other, of a purplish- 
red or plum-colour, the purplish tint being produced as in certain 
forms of N. sobrina , N baia, Agrotis hyperborea and many other species. 
There is another Scotch form, dull reddish-brown in colour, common in 
Aberdeenshire districts, which is much darker than any of our more 
southern forms. In general appearance, too, there is great difference, 
some specimens are very mottled, others have a distinct dark quadrate spot 
between the stigmata and another beyond the orbicular, whilst sometimes 
the basal area (to the central shade) is very pale (grey, ochreous, etc.) 
the outer area being much darker. When the extreme outer margin, 
beyond the subterminal is also pale, the insect has a banded form, and 
sometimes this band is most striking in its development. The stigmata 
vary but little; they are generally pale in colour and well developed. 
Only in one specimen of a long series are the two quadrate spots joined 
by a line under the orbicular, although an occasional specimen shows a 
tendency that way. There is also considerable difference in the 
development of the transverse lines, but the only one of these that 
