BRITISH AXD EURO TEA X BUTTERFLIES AXD MOTHS 



is without the black spots on the under side. 

 It is found in Scotland as far as Aberdeen- 

 shire, and is single-brooded, appearing at the 

 end of June. 



L. eros, Ochs. is an Alpine species. The 

 male is bright shining blue above, with a 

 broad blackish border. The female is brown. 

 It appears in June and August. 



L. icarus, Rott. The Common Blue. 

 PI. V. fig. 4. Under side 4a. is widely dis- 

 tributed throughout Europe, and is the com- 

 monest of the blues in the British Isles. 

 ' It is found from May till October in mea- 

 dows and on roadsides. The female is 

 brown, often more or less tinged with blue 

 at the base of the wings. The larva is green, 

 with a darker green stripe on the back and 

 a light green one on the sides. It feeds in 

 May and through the Summer on leguminous 

 plants, especially Ononis spinosa. 



L. eumedon, Esp. occurs in Central and 

 South-Eastern Europe. Both sexes are brown, 

 the male being darker than the female. There 

 is a black discoidal spot on the fore wings 

 and a row of tawny spots on the hind margins 

 of the hind wings in the female. The fringes 

 are white. It occurs in July and August in 

 damp meadows, but is not very common. The 

 caterpillar feeds on the pods of Geranium pratense 

 and purpureiim. 



L. amanda, Schn. This species, like the 

 last, though widely distributed in Europe, 

 is not found in Britain. The male is sky- 

 blue, with a broad black border, and the 

 female is brown, with three or four submargi- 

 nal orange spots on the hind wings. The 

 fringes of the wings are white. There is a 

 black discoidal spot in both sexes, though it 

 is rather indistinct in the female. On the 

 under side of the hind wings there are three 

 dark basal spots, and a tawny band on tlie 

 hind margins with two rows of black spots. 

 It appears in June and August, and is found 

 in open woods. 



L. escheri, Hiibn. Resembles icarus, but 

 is larger, and without basal spots on the under 

 side. It is found in the Southern passes 

 of the Swiss Alps in July. 



L. bellargus, Rott. The Clifden Blue. 

 PI. V. fig. 5. Female 5a. Under side 5b. is 

 found in Central and Southern Europe, as 



well as in the South of England. It is un- 

 known, however, in Scotland or Ireland. The 

 wings of the male are brilliant glossy blue, 

 in the female brown dusted with blue. In 

 the variety of the female called ceronus, Hiibn. 

 the colour is blue like that of the male, but 

 with the orange spots on the margins as in 

 the ordinary females. It is found from May 

 to September in chalky and limestone districts. 

 The larva is green, with two rows of brownish 

 spots on the back, and a yellow stripe on 

 the side. It feeds in May and June and 

 again in the Autumn on clover and other 

 leguminous plants. 



L. corydon, Poda. The Chalk Hill Blue. 

 PL V. fig. 6. Female 6a. Under side 6b. This 

 large and beautiful blue butterfly is found 

 in July and August in open places and on 

 hill-sides in chalky localities, and is com- 

 mon, where it occurs, in the South of Eng- 

 land, but is absent from Scotland and Ireland. 

 The larva is green and hairy, with a black 

 head, and a double row of yellowish humps on 

 the back, and oblique lateral stripes of the 

 same colour. It is found in May and June, 

 and feeds on vetches and trefoil. 



L. hylas, Esp. PI. V. fig. 7. Female 

 7a. is found from May to August, on dry 

 heaths, in Central and Southern Europe. 

 The larva is dark green, with yellow streaks 

 on the sides, and a dark line on the back. 

 It feeds on the flowers of Melilolus in May 

 and August. 



L. meleager, Esp. is bright light blue, with 

 narrow black margins. The female is darker, 

 with black nervures and broad dark brown 

 margins, and two deep notches near the anal 

 angle. The under side is like that of cory- 

 don, but without black spots on the fore wings. 

 It is found in June and July in limestone 

 districts in Switzerland and the South of France 

 and Germany. Var. steveni, Treit. In this form 

 the female is dark brown without an_v tinge 

 of blue, and the male has a distinct black 

 margin. It inhabits Switzerland and South 

 Tyrol. 



L. damon, W. V. The male is pale sil- 

 ver}' blue, somewhat brighter than corydon, 

 with a dark brown border to the wings. The 

 female is brown with white fringes. The under 

 side is brownish grev, with a central row of 



