HABITS OF ARGYNNIS ELISA. 319 



body deeply down among them, would deposit an egg in a safe situa- 

 tion, sometimes on a stem, sometimes on a leaf. She would then 

 move to another place and lay several eggs in this way before she 

 finally went up for a rest. Sometimes two, three, or even more eggs 

 were laid upon the same leaf. A few more were laid the following 

 morning, but before midday the female was dead. Perhaps the sun 

 was too much for her, or perhaps a diet of water was not sufficient to 

 keep her alive. Ari/i/nnis females will not live long in captivity, even 

 if fed on sugar and water. In a state of nature, on the contrary, they 

 must have a rather long life. 



Another female taken in the forest of Vizzavona, on July 23rd, 

 laid a great many eggs on the 25th and 26th, chiefly on dead stems 

 and withered leaves. These were laid between 8.30 and 11 a.m., 

 never in exposed positions, but low down among the leaves and stems. 



Ovum. — When first laid the egg is pale yellow. In 3 or 4 days it 

 develops a mauve tint, and in 10 days becomes leaden, darkest on 

 top, the cell-walls and ridges standing out white. When the mauve 

 tint appears, the upper part of the egg under microscope is seen to 

 be coloured a reddish-brown ; about the equator is a dull whitish ring 

 very irregularly defined, and below it another circle of reddish-brown 

 reaching nearly to the base, which is also diill whitish. When leaden-look- 

 ing to the naked eye the egg-surface under microscope appears metallic- 

 violet, the cell-surfaces giving violet and coppery reflections, much like 

 those seen on a dried blot of violet ink. Above this the white reticulation 

 stands out prominently. I conclude that the larva is developed inside the 

 egg at this time. The shape is ovo-conical, truncated at the summit in the 

 case of some of those laid by the second female, the bases being some- 

 w^hat rounded, but, in the great majority of cases, the egg is a rapidly 

 tapering, truncated cone with a broad flat base. At the top is a fairly 

 deep circular depression. (In the case of those eggs with a rounded 

 base, I think it probable that the female did not dab them down with 

 sufficient pressure, whereas, normally, the base is flattened in the 

 laying process whilst the shell is soft.) The egg is firmly attached. 

 Ribbing, cell system, and pitting: There are from 11 to 13 vertical 

 ribs, 2 or 3 of Avhich do not reach the shoulder of the egg. The rest 

 rise well above it, forming peaks around the crater, down which they 

 are continued a short distance in low ridges. These ribs are fairly 

 sharp. The cross-ribbing is very distinct, especially after the egg has 

 darkened ; the cross ribs are thin and fairly high, though, of course, 

 not nearly so high as the vertical ribs ; they divide the egg-surface 

 between each pair of vertical ribs into 16 or 18 longitudinal cells, 

 counting from the rim of the crater. There are two more on the 

 inner side of the crater, or rather one very narrow one occupying the 

 summit of the rim, and one broader below. The bottom of the crater 

 is mosaiced with minute polygonal cells (pentagons and hexagons 

 apparently). The base is also covered with polygonal cells. The 

 surface of the egg is sprinkled thickly with small pits. Dimensions : 

 Height, 0-70mm. to 0-75mm., including projecting ribs ; greatest 

 width (at base) 0-80mm. These eggs have not yet hatched (September 

 17th, 1905), and, in all probability, the young larvae will hibernate 

 inside. Since the darkening occurred no change in appearance has 

 taken place. 



A. elisa appears to be plentiful on all the mountains in this district 



