POLYOMMATUS SAPPHIRUS, MEIG. = P. ESCHERI, HUBNER. 203 



similar to hellargns, but the whitR fringes are spotted with lilack only on the hind- 

 wings , on the forewings, on the contrary, the bases of the fringes are all along 

 blackened ('Esper's above-mentioned figure differs in this, and shows also on the 

 forewings black spotted fringes, on the hindwings, however, black marginal dots). 

 The underside is ash-grey, and agrees with that of the previous butterfly (bellargus), 

 except that the eye-spots at the base of the forewings in front of the central streak 

 are entirely absent, and the orange-yellow marginal spots are also absent ; the 

 hindwings exhibit no difference (Meigen). 



Meigen's reference to Esper led me at first, somewhat thought- 

 lessly, to suppose that it was a form of Agriades bellargus, the figure 

 suggestmg an approach to ab. pallida, but the fringes on the upper- 

 side, and particularly the spotting of the underside showed it to be a 

 Pohjowiiiatiis, and not an Afiriadea. I at once compared the insect 

 with my very long series of Poh/nininatKS escheii, to which I, on mature 

 consideration, have referred it, and found it identical with certain 

 specimens in my collection, in which the marginal border of the fore- 

 wings is reduced to a minimum, the nervures marked in black on the 

 extreme outer margin, the fringe of the forewings white, of the hind- 

 wings white chequered with black at the termination of the nervures, 

 the black dashes, however, only extending half-way through the 

 fringes, the outer half being entirely white. The underside, however, 

 is absolute ; there can be no doubt whatever that it represents the 

 underside of Poli/oDimatKs esrheri : it is quite unlike the underside of 

 any Agriades bellargus. The reason for Meigen's refei'ence to bellargus, 

 Esp., Die ScJniiett., pi. Iv., fig. 2, is obvious, as the underside figured 

 by Esper is of the aberration that exhibits no basal spots on forewings, 

 a specific character in P. escheri ; the upperside, however, is bellargus 

 of the form jtuueta. 



Ihad never, however, comeacross thename (sapphinis) in print (except 

 in Meigen), and had no idea it had been used, but, strangely, I noticed, 

 yesterday evening (July 3rd) that, in the current issue of the Iitt. Ent. 

 Zeits. (.iiiben, iii., p. 78, Strand notes, under bellargus, Rott., the capture 

 of " an example of ab. sapphinis, Meig., in the Taurus in June, 1907." 

 Turning over some notes on A. bellargus to-day, sent me by my kind 

 friend Mr. Gillmer, I observe a further statement by Stollwerck. who 

 states that he has taken bellargus ab. sapphirus, Meig., in the Rhine 

 Provinces. The matter, therefore, wants correcting at once, as it is 

 inadvisable to allow sapphirus, Meig., = escheri, Hiibn., erroneously to 

 get currency as an aberration of bellargus. We wonder what form of 

 bellargus taken in the Taurus, Strand refers to sapphirus, Meig., and 

 what form taken in the Rhine Provinces, Stollwerck refers to it. Are 

 these merely the form of bellargus without basal spots to the forewings 

 beneath? 



As tending to illustrate the superficial resemblance PuUKvuutatus 

 escheri bears to Agriades bellargus, we may note that we observed 

 yesterday (July 3rd) a very fine characteristic <? of P. escJieri in the 

 midst of the lovely series of A. bellargus in the British Museum coll., 

 of course very conspicuous once attention is fixed on it, but easily 

 overlooked until the necessary attention is given. Similarly, 5 s of 

 Agriades meleager pass muster in the same collection, as 5 s of A. 

 coridnn, in spite of the highly crenulated margin of the hindwings of 

 the former. Very extraordinary, of course, yet one is always finding 

 just as extraordinary " howlers" in one's own collection. 



This does not, of course, alter any names, escheri, Hb. (1819), is 



