BRITISH AXD EUROPEAN BUTTERFLIES AND MOTHS. 



■with ven- indistinct marginal spots on the hind 

 wings. The butterfly is found from May to 

 August in open woods and meadows, and is 

 generally common in Central and Southern 

 Europe. It has been taken once or twice in 

 the South of England. The larva is pale 

 green, with a darker stripe along the back, 

 and dark streaks and light brown and 

 white spots on the sides. It is found in 

 May and August on trefoil and other legu- 

 minous plants. 



L. aegon, W. V. The Silver-studded Blue. 

 The male is deep blue inclining to violet, 

 with a broad black band on the hind margins. 

 The female is brown with an orange band on 

 the hind margins, more distinct on the hind 

 than on the fore wings. The under side is grey, 

 with a double row of black spots, flecked with 

 silver, enclosing an orange band on the hind 

 margins of both fore and hind wings. The 

 front tibiae have a horny spur. This insect 

 occurs throughout the whole of Europe, and is 

 widely distributed in England, though some- 

 what local. It is on the wing from May to 

 August. The larva is yellowish green with 

 a blackish brown dorsal stripe, edged with 

 white. It is found in May and June, and 

 feeds on trefoil, vetches, and other leguminous 

 plants. 



L. argus, Linn. PI. V. fig. i. Female 

 la. Under side ib. is common in the greater 

 part of Europe, but is not found in Britain, 

 and frequents meadows, damp roadsides, etc., 

 and on hot days may sometimes be seen in 

 hundreds about pools and rivulets. The larva 

 is dark green, with a red line on the back, 

 and an oblique reddish brown streak on tlie 

 sides. It lives from Autumn till Spring on 

 Genista, Mdilotus, etc. Var. aegidion, Meissn. 

 is the Alpine form. It is smaller, and the wings 

 of the male are of a deep violet colour. 



L. optilete, Knoch. The male is dark 

 violet-blue, with narrow brown margins. The 

 female is brown suffused with blue towards 

 the base. It is found in Germany and the 

 Swiss Alps in boggy places in June and Jul}'. 

 The larva feeds on Vaccinium oxycoccits in 

 Autumn, and again after hibernation in May. 



L. orion, Pallas. The wings are dark 

 brown dusted with blue in the male, and have 

 a row of black spots ringed with blue on the 



hind margins. The fringes are spotted with 

 black and white. The under side is greyish 

 white, with rows of black spots; the hind wings 

 have a light orange marginal band. It is found 

 in Central and Southern Europe from May to 

 July. The caterpillar is dark green, with a 

 dark violet dorsal line and a black head. It 

 feeds on species of Sedum in July and August. 



L. baton, Berg, is a Central and South 

 European species. The wings are, in the 

 male, pale lilac-blue with a black discoidal 

 spot, and a row of black dots along the hind 

 margin of the hind wings. The fringes are 

 black, spotted with white. The female is light 

 brown, dusted with blue at the base. The 

 under side is light grey, with a row of black 

 spots on the hind margins of the fore wings, 

 and two rows enclosing a pale orange band 

 on the hind wings. It is found in May and 

 June and again in August in dry, sandy, and 

 chalky places. 



L. pheretes, Hiibn. Male, violet -blue 

 with narrow black margins. Female, uni- 

 form brown. Under side light grey, with 

 black eye-spots on the fore wings, and plain 

 white spots on the hind wings. It is found 

 in mountain pastures in the higher Alps and 

 the mountains of Northern Europe. The 

 butterfly loves to sit on the flowers of 

 Polygonum. 



L. orbitulus, Prun. The male is pale 

 bluish grey, with a black discoidal dot on all 

 the wings, and in addition a row of dark spots 

 along the hind margins. The female is uni- 

 form brown, with only a brown discoidal 

 spot on the fore wings. It is local in the 

 higher Alps of Switzerland and Southern 

 Tyrol in June and July. 



L. astrarche, Bergstr. The Brown Argus. 

 PI. V. fig. 2. Female 2a. Both sexes are 

 brown, with orange marginal spots, which may 

 be wanting, as in the variet}' allous, Hiibn. 

 The under side is brownish grey. The butter- 

 flies appear in May and August, and those 

 of the Spring brood are larger and of a 

 lighter colour than those found later. It fre- 

 quents dry sunny meadows and hill-sides, and 

 is commonest in England in the Southern 

 counties. The variety artaxerxes, Fabr. 

 PI. V. fig. 3. Female 3a. Under side 3b. has 

 a white discoidal spot on the fore wings, and 



