CURRENT NOTES. 299 



mammals, in which he gains a distinctly greater measure of success. 

 Mr. A. W. Dennis exhibits some first class geological photographs 

 of the Pass of Llanberis and its vicinity. 



The completion of vol. iii. of A Natural Histori/ of the British 

 Ijiitttrjiiex. {A Xat. Hist. Brit. Lep., vol. x.) leads us to ask for further 

 help in various directions. We have in this issue published no fewer 

 than 53 full-size plates illustrating the life-histories, variation, and 

 biological details of the species treated. Although the photographs 

 have been kindly given us by Dr. T, A. Chapman, Messrs. Main, 

 Tonge, and other friends, the cost of reproduction and printing 

 so many illustrations adds a great expense to the volume. We 

 are anxious, therefore, to enrol as many subscribers as possible for 

 this and the new volume, which will be at least as fully illustrated. 

 The volumes, published in monthly parts at Is., less than the 

 cost of a halfpenny daily newspaper, should fall well within 

 the means of every lepidopterist, and everyone who can afford to 

 support the work in this way, is helping to ensure its continuance. 

 The steady increase of illustrations in the last four vols, published, 

 they have been 5, 20, 28 and 53 respectively, will give a good idea of 

 the development in this direction. 



Another matter we should like to note. Many of our friends send 

 us photographs, etc., after we have completed our survey of the 

 species. We have received many photographs of aberrations of Plcbeins 

 ariiKs {iU'ijDn) and Ai/riades thetis (bellori/its) since our surveys of these 

 species have been completed, and when, of course, the plates have been 

 made up, and it is too late to use them. We are now at work on. A;iria(les 

 cnriilnn, Foli/oniiiiatiis icarxs, Aricia astrarche, Lycaena arion, and 

 Hamearis liicina. Pictures and photographs of good aberrations of 

 these would be very welcome before we make up our plates on the 

 known forms of the species, and photography is now such a common 

 acquisition among entomologists that one might reasonably expect 

 more help in this direction. All figures, however, should be of natural 

 size, and the figures clearly defined. Good sharp pencil drawings 

 reproduce exceedingly well. 



There are two or three things that we want to beg from our 

 British collectors : (1) A few representative examples of the various 

 forms of Aricia astrarche captured in Durham, Northumberland, 

 Cumberland and Westmorland, or any outlying district of Wales or 

 the south-west of England ; (2) a few midland, western and northern 

 examples of Ai/riailes coridvn : (3) a typical ^ and 2 of Lycaena arion 

 from Devon, Gloucester, and Cornwall. The specimens are wanted for 

 dissection if need be, and so cannot be returned. If any of our col- 

 lectors can help us, we shall be greatly obliged. 



As we are closing our net around what we have been able to catch con- 

 cerning Ayriades coridon, we find that we should be glad of further details 

 concerning some of the less known races of this species. We particu- 

 larly want data comparing the spring form of the Riviera race (from 

 Hyeres, Draguignan, Ste. Maxime, etc.), i.e., var. iiieridioiialis gen. 1 

 vernalis with the summer form gen. 2 hiemalis, if there be any real 

 difterence between them. One wonders whether the rather smooth, 

 delicate, but dull, silvery-blue <? with its variable margin to forewings, and 

 $ with deep brown underside, is merely the spring form of Bartel's 

 ?-^s»/Vf A-/, which he describes in some particulars so differently. Again, 

 does anyone know anything about the May examples of the Pont du Gard 



