141 



Colour. — fidva ; fidvata, var. /3 of Stephens' " Illns." 

 Markings. — ama rfjinata, vispanli. 



Mr. Frohawk exhibited a picked series of M. i/alathra from Britain 

 which showed the variation of the ground colour, from very pure 

 silvery-white through white, creamy-white, clear lemon-yellow to 

 buff-yellow, and noted that otherwise the species in this country was 

 not prone to variation or aberration. There did however exist a 

 pure white specimen, which was taken in the forties, and also a 

 wholly black specimen taken in Kent, ab. lugenii. He said that it 

 might not be generally known that the larvfe hatched in the last 

 days of August and went at once into hibernation. They fixed 

 themselves on dead grass stems to which they exactly assimilated 

 in colour and never on the green blades. At the beginning of the 

 new year, about this time in January, they started to feed. 



The Rev. G. Wheeler exhibited examples of var. Incasi [moure- 

 tanica) of M. r/alaihea from Algeria, and also his unique aberration 

 of M. (jalathea in which the left side was completely ab. higem, the 

 wholly black form, while the right side was predominantly black but 

 considerably and irregularly streaked and blotched with the dull 

 white of the typical ground colour. 



Mr. Piatt Barrett exhibited his collection of the same genus, 

 calling attention to a unique form of M. galathea (see pi. xii.) taken 

 many years ago in Kent, which closely resembled the Spanish Ji. 

 lachesis in having a broad white band across all four wings, and also 

 to the various forms of the several species with which he was 

 familiar in South Italy and Sicily, as follows : — 



Melanargia {Arge) (jalathea = Y,x\g\\sh — type form = Kent, 1859, 

 1880, 1900-1915; Surrey, 1870; Gloucestershire, 1912. Variety (one 

 only), Kent, 1875, all pale forms ; also Brigue, Switzerland, 1909 (pale 

 form) ; and Vienna, Austria (pale form 1913). Dark form = var. 

 ^*joc/(/a = Berisal, 1911 and 1914 ; Tuscany, 1911 ; Calabria, at sea 

 level, 1,000ft. and 2,000ft. with some var. turcica, 1911 and 1914 ; 

 Sicily, specimens chiefly prucida, with large females from eight 

 different localities, 1912, 1913, and 1914, including syracusana, 

 Zeller, 1910, 1911, 1912, 1918, and 1914. 



M. japygia. — Sicily (large and dark), 1911-1914, France, 

 Brindisi, etc. 



M. phenisa. — Sicily, Palermo, 1910-1914, also var. plemura. 

 M. arge. — C. Italy, Sorrento, 1913 ; Calabria, various localities, 

 1910 19i4. 



M. larissa. — Var. herta — one specimen. 

 M. lachesis. — Two specimens. 



