A JUNE DAY ON FOLKESTONE DOWNS. 175 



same time both difficult to follow, and yet when seen very conspicuous, 

 allowing it to disappear suddenly when the eye is fixed on it, 

 permitting it to appear quite suddenly thi-ee or four yards further on 

 when the underside is again turned towards one. It appears remark- 

 ahle, too, how^ really "blue" this insect looks when on the wing, 

 especially with the rising downs covered with brilliant yellow 

 and green forming a background, as it flits rapidly from one point to 

 another well above the herbage. Whether this is entirely due to the 

 pale blue-grey underside or the contrasting effect of the light and dark 

 under- and upperside respectively it is difficult to say, but the result is 

 certain, and the " blueness" of C. niininiKs on the wing is most marked. 

 It is an assertive little species also, attacking with the utmost imperti- 

 nence both A. thetis and P. irarus, driving them froiii its beat, to 

 which it returns again and again with unwonted pertinacity ; it is, 

 however, much slower on the wing than either of its larger relatives, 

 and when it attacks them, it is amusing to see how soon it is left 

 behind. No paired examples of A. theti^i were observed, but one pair 

 of P. icavKs were sitting exposed on the top of a plantain flower, 

 about noon, but several pairs of C. i)ii7ii)iius were observed, rather 

 conspicuously it seemed, on the grass culms towards the end of the 

 afternoon, the pairing evidently taking place then and not earlier in 

 the day, as is so often the case with F. icarus. The most common 

 butterfly of the downs, however, appeared to be Coimonymjiha 

 pawphiliis, which got up at every footstep, and was in first-class 

 condition ; at least two dozen were overhauled to see if there was any 

 variation in the spotting, but without result, although one or two 

 examples were particularly strongly marked towards the base of the 

 underside of the hindwings with a rich mahogany-brown (ab. hrnnnea). 

 Epinepliele ianira were only just coming out, two or three very fine 

 dark $ s alone being observed. Xisoniades tar/es was going over, but 

 still, some of the specimens were in not at all bad condition, and the 

 species would, one supposes, still last some days ; on the other hand, 

 Awjiades sijlvanua was just out, and dozens of beautifully rich-coloured 

 (? s rushed about everywhere, not a $ was observed however. These 

 were practically the only butterflies seen. 



Flitting almost everywhere among the flowers was Kiniidia 

 (jlyji/iira, quite fresh and in good condition, whilst very abundant, 

 at the foot of the downs, was the little Kmiiuieiiia albidata, which 

 came up at every footstep, beautifully fresh, with an abundance of 

 golden-brown transverse markings; wdth it, literally in hundreds, was 

 BotijH fiiscalis, varying greatly in size, more readily disturbed, 

 perhaps, than the last-named species. Very common, too, was 

 Scofjaria diibitalis var. inijrateUa, the ground colour very white, as 

 might be expected here, although very few had the markings reduced 

 to the extent that is so frequent on the clifl's to the north of Dover. 

 Occasionally Strenia dathrata flitted ahead of one, but ('aviiiUuirminna 

 hiliiteata was very common, all the specimens apparently quite bright 

 golden colour with pale transverse lines, and none with the remarkable 

 band (ab. fasciata) of those of the London gardens, where the $ s 

 appear to be particularly large and strongly-marked in this direction, 

 A beautiful ^ Kuthi'monia ntssitla softly rises and gently flutters off 

 in the breeze, settling a dozen yards or so higher up the steep banks 

 and necessitating a climb to see that it was freshly out ; no amount 



