BRITISH AXD EUROPEAN BUTTERFLIES AXD MOTHS. 



small white-ringed black spots, an elongated 

 discoidal spot on the fore wings, and a white 

 streak across the hind wings running almost 

 to the base. This insect is local in some parts 

 of West Central and Southern Europe, and 

 is found principally in sainfoin fields. The 

 larva, which is green, with a dark stripe on 

 the back and reddish yellow lateral lines, is 

 found in May on sainfoin. 



L. argiolus, Linn. The Azure Blue. 

 PI. V. fig. 8. Female 8a. Under side 8b. 

 is found from April to August in open woods, 

 etc. It is common in Ireland as well as in 

 England, but becomes rarer towards the 

 North. The caterpillar is yellowish green or 

 reddish, pubescent, with a dark green line along 

 the back. It feeds in May and again later 

 in the year on the flowers of the holly, ivy, 

 and species of Rhamnus. 



L. sebrus, Boisd. is found in the mountain 

 valleys of Austria and South Tyrol. The male 

 is violet-blue and the female dark brown. The 

 under side is light grey, with a row of equal 

 sized eye-spots. 



L. minima, Fuessl. The Small Blue. 

 PI. V. fig. g. Under side ga. Both sexes 

 are dark brown, faintly tinged with silvery 

 blue in the male. The under side is silvery 

 grey. It is found from ]May to August on 

 hilly pastures, etc. In England it is found in 

 chalk or limestone districts. The larva is dark 

 green with an orange-red dorsal stripe, edged 

 with yellow, and an oblique yellowish streak, 

 edged with orange, on the side of each seg- 

 ment. It feeds in June and August on various 

 vetches. 



L. semiargus, Rott. The Mazarine Blue. 

 PI. V. fig. lo. Under side loa. is found all 

 over Europe, but is rare and local in Britain. 

 It frequents pasture lands near woods from 

 May to August. The female is uniform 

 brown, with a narrow discoidal spot on the 

 fore wings. 



L. cyllarus, Rott. is light blue, with a 

 reddish shine ; the female is dark brown, 

 slightly blue at the base. The under side is 

 light grey, with the black spots on the fore 

 wings much larger than those on the hind 

 wings, and the base of the hind wings metallic 

 green. It is found in mountain meadows in 

 the greater part of Europe from May to August. 



The larva feeds on various leguminous plants, 

 such as Mdilotus and Genista. 



L. iolas, Ochs. This is the largest Euro- 

 pean Blue. It occurs locally in Germany and 

 France, and rarely in Switzerland. It is violet- 

 blue, with a black border, narrow in the male, 

 broad in the female, and a submarginal row 

 of black dots on the hind wings. 



L. alcon, W. V. occurs in July and August 

 in Central and Southern Europe. The male 

 is dark blue, with a narrow dark brown 

 border. The female is dark brown, dusted 

 with blue at the base of the wings. The 

 under side is ashy grey, tending to brown. It 

 is found on moors and meadows in June, and 

 is rather local. 



L. euphemus, Hiibn. though found through- 

 out the greater part of Central Europe, is 

 absent from Britain. Both sexes are light 

 blue, with a brownish black border, broader 

 in the female than in the male. There is a 

 narrow black discoidal spot on both fore and 

 hind wings, and a central row of black spots. 

 The under side is ashy grey, with the spots 

 arranged as on the upper side, and a marginal 

 row of black spots in addition. It is found 

 in July on moorland pastures. 



L. arion, Linn. The Large Blue. PI. V. 

 fig. II. is very similar to the last species. It 

 has a wide range, but is very local in Eng- 

 land, being found chiefly in the South -Wes- 

 tern and Midland counties. This butterfly 

 varies somewhat in size and marking. It fre- 

 quents meadows and open places in June and 

 July. The larva feeds on wild thyme. 



L. areas, Rott. is dark brown, dusted with 

 blue in the male, with a central row of elong- 

 ated spots. The under side is uniform greyish 

 brown with a central row of round black spots 

 in light rings. The insect is found in marshy 

 meadows in France, Germany, and the Alps. It 

 is fond of resting on the flowers of Sangnisorha 

 officinalis, the fruits of which are the food of 

 the larva. The caterpillar hibernates. 



FAMILY 



E R Y C I N I D ^. 



Small bright-coloured butterflies, largely 

 represented in the Tropics of America, but 

 by only one species in Europe. The antennae 



