30 iJ<'iy, 



1st and 5tli ; by the 10th, it was matui'e, on the l.Jth it fixed itself 

 for changing, and on the 17th, became a pupa ; thus passing just 

 forty days in the larva state ; the butterfly, a male, appeared on 6th 

 April, 1876 ; two hundred and two days having been passed in the 

 pupa state, — perhaps its emergence had been hastened somewhat by 

 being kept sheltered indoors. 



In a general way, therefore, the year's history may be divided as 

 follows : the first flight of the butterflies, end of April, and in May ; 

 larvae hatched at the end of May, and feeding on holly flowers and 

 young leaves, or on young ivy leaves through June (Mr. Harwood, of 

 Colchester, informs me he has also found them on flowers of Rhamnus 

 frangula) ; the second flight of butterflies in July ; the second brood 

 of larva? feeding in August and September, on flower-buds and young 

 leaves of ivy ; the winter passed in the pupa state. 



The egg of Argiolus is very much like that of Alexis, except that 

 it is rather larger ; being circular, flattened, and rather depressed 

 in the centre ; the whole surface — except just a central spot — over- 

 laid with raised reticulation, with little knobs at the angles ; the shell 

 pale bluish-green, the raised reticulation whitish ; the larva escapes by 

 making a hole near the centre of the upper surface. 



The young larva, in the spring, is something like that of a Zygcena 

 in shape, plump, and hairy (as was noticed both by Mr. Hellins and 

 myself), even while quitting the egg-shell, with a greenish-white body 

 and dark head, and very slow in its movements ; but the summer larva I 

 found for the first few hours to be very active, walking about with 

 almost a looping progression, and much more slender than that of any 

 Lyccena at present observed ; the head moderately large, rough and 

 prominent, of a chocolate-brown colour ; the body shining, very pale 

 translucent-greenish, and apparently naked ; and looking at this 

 unusual form of a newly -hatched Lycaena, one tried to account for it 

 from the heat of the weather, and by thinking that it was better fitted 

 to pierce the hard buds of the ivy just formed, than if it were at first 

 more the shape of its congeners. After the first moult, it became 

 stouter in figure, pale ochreous-green in colour, and clothed with un- 

 usually long, whitish, soft, silky hairs, and was very sluggish, no 

 longer differing from larvae of the spring brood. 



"When about a fortnight old, it attains the length of to inch, and 

 becomes of the usual Lyccena shape, with smooth glistening skin, and 

 colour similar to that of the ivy buds ; in about three weeks, it is 

 Te inch long, and stout in proportion, showing a paler streak on the 



