1912.] 277 



A. gravesi that iiiitiated, by exploration in various directions, the recog- 

 nition of A. alexins, Frr., as a "good" species. I have communicated 

 a fairly full account of the latter to the Entomological Society of 

 London, but the paper will probably not appear for some time after 

 this does. I now recognise A. gravesi as a local form of A. alexins. I 

 wish pointedly to call attention to an error in Fig. 4, for which, of 

 course, I am to blame. I ought to have noticed it before the plate 

 was completed. A fairly constant character of A. alexins is to have the 

 costal orange spot of the hind wing advanced basally as is shown in 

 figs. 5 and 6. In P. icarus there is only occasionally some approach to 

 this, nor is a similar disposition of this spot present in any other of our 

 European " blues." 



In fig. 4 this spot is shown as it usually is found in P. icarus. 

 At the time I passed the drawings I had not identified A. gravesi with 

 A. alexins ; had not in fact recognised the latter species, so this error 

 escaped me. The insects are now at South Kensington, and on going 

 there to find out whether this specimen was in truth as figured, I 

 found that this angle of the wing was broken and bent under, so that 

 though the first spot was really as figured in figs. 5 and 6 in this 

 specimen, the second spot, and of course on the left side only, appeared 

 to be the first, and neither Mr. E. C. Knight, whose drawings leave 

 nothing to be desired in other respects, nor myself were deceived on 

 this point. It is not perhaps generous on my part to remark that this 

 ought to have made the orange spots fewer by one, but by careful 

 count Mr. Knight saw to it that the normal number was shown. That 

 the error was not corrected in time is clearly my fault, and my only 

 (poor) excuse is that it was not till long after the drawing was made 

 that I knew this was a point of importance. 



On this particular point Freyer's original figures are not unsatis- 

 factory. I now, however, recognise that thersites (Bdv. Ms.), Cantener 

 (1834), is identical with alexitis, Frr., ; the name thersites therefore dis- 

 places, by priority, alexins which I have so far used. Cantener's figure 

 and note are decisive. The only other figure I have seen that is almost 

 certainly] that of J.. I^Aer.s/ies is Herrich-Schaelfer's fig. 246, which he 

 notes as a variety of icarus and for which he gives no locality. 



I feel some regret that A. gravesi, which led to the discovery that 

 A. thersites was truly of specific rank, should have to sink as a variety 

 of that species. As a var. of A. thersites, gravesi would be characterised 

 as the form occurring in Syria, fairly uniform in size and tone of 

 colour, and not very different from the type (as far as can be judged 

 from the figures) . 



