58 



met with, and vice-versa, and we are told that lachesis occurs in 

 Spain, but galathea is absent. Therefore I suggest that lachesis 

 is a sub-species of galathea. 



I also suggest that var. herta is a sub-species of procida or turcica 

 for exactly similar reasons. 



Melanargia arge. 



The second root-stock is of course M. arge (Sulzer, 1776). I own 

 that Sulzer's locality for arge, viz., Sicily, puzzled me, for the 

 Sicilian species is certainly jihernsa. My attention has lately been 

 drawn to " The Kingdom of the. Two Sicilies," and on rubbing up 

 my history and geography I have found that two centuries ago the 

 Kingdom of Naples and the Island of Sicily were distinct. In 1736 

 the Neapolitans conquered Sicily and formed the kingdom of the 

 Two Sicilies. The first Kingdom of Sicily included the southern 

 part of Italy from Naples to Cape Spartivento, and Sicily formed 

 the " Second Kingdom of Sicily." Naples itself was said to be in 

 Sicily, and probably Sulzer's "type" specimen was from Sorrento. 

 Though his figure is badly drawn, and he put on it far too much 

 indigo, there is a slight resemblance. 



Arge appears to be fairly well distributed in Calabria, and its 

 "colonies" are generally found in sheltered spots on hurricane 

 swept hills, where much grass grows. All the specimens that I 

 have seen were over before galathea emerged, and I have never 

 found them together, as galathea appears to prefer a lower level and 

 more shelter. I have captured arge 100 miles apart, at Catanzaro 

 on the mountains near the east coast, at Nicotera on the west coast, 

 at Cittanuova in the great plain at the foot of the mountains, and 

 above Scylla, tw^o miles from the procida locality mentioned pre- 

 viously. In some instances, notably at Scylla, the specimens were 

 worn, but I took no galathea. 1 took one worn var. approaching ab. 

 coica, the ringless form. 



Melanargia pherusa. 

 With regard to pherasa, Dahl., which is common on a shelterless 

 hill near Palermo, with its var. plemura, where it has, so to 

 speak, " to cling to the grass with its eyelids," I was late one 

 season and found the specimens all battered to pieces. On leaving 

 the hill early in disappointment, I reached a hollow where a stream 

 rushes along after a storm, and there I saw a butterfly flying most 

 awkwardly. I caught it, and it proved to be a newly emerged 

 galathea — quite limp. This is the onl}^ specimen I found near 

 Palermo, and concluded I was too early for it, as it is said to be 

 common there. M. pherusa has recently been reduced in rank and 

 now stands M. sglliiis var. pherusa, ab. plesaura, Seitz., 1906. 



Melanargia psyche = syllius. 

 I have had no personal experience of j*.s7/t7(f (Hiibner, 1799) = 



