234 RHOPALOCERA AFRICA AUSTRALIS. 



par excellence, the European, group, has a slow, weak flight, 

 never rising far from the ground. Blue is the predominant 

 colour in this Genus, especially in the males ; the females 

 being brown or grey shot with blue, and not infrequently 

 spotted on the upper- surface. The under -side pattern 

 consists of a central spot or lunule, a discal transverse band of 

 spots, and one or more rows of spots or lunules on hind-margin. 

 This is traceable even in the more typical species of the tailed 

 group, in which the irregularity and confluence of the white 

 edges of the spots impart a striated aspect to the under-side. 

 These insects are of small size, the largest not expanding two 

 inches, and the smallest being among the most minute of 

 known Butterflies. No less than twenty-four species are 

 recorded as South African, and there is little doubt that many 

 more will be discovered. 



A.— Hind-wing with two or three short tufts of hair on 

 hind-margin. 



136. Lycaena Emolus. 



$ . Polyommatus Emolus, Godt., Enc. Meth., IX, p. 656. 

 Lycaena Emolus, Boisd., Jpp. Voy. de Deleg., p. 588. 



$ (?). Lycaena Sichela, Wallgr., Lep. Rhop. Caffr., p. 37. 

 Exp. 11 lin. — 1 in. 1| lin. 



$ . Glistening dark-violaceous ; a slender black, hind- 

 marginal edging line ; cilia whitish. Hind-zving : close to 

 hind-margin two to three inconspicuous black spots between 

 second median nervule and submedian nervure ; at extremity 

 of each of these nervures, as ivell as that of third median, a 

 thin tzft of whitish hairs. Under-side. — Brownish-grey : in 

 each wing — a double dark streak (enclosing one of ground- 

 colour) closing cell, the whole marking being on both sides 

 white-edged, — a similar fascia, composed of confluent spots, 

 across wing beyond cell, in hind-wing bi-angulated near 

 inner-margin, in fore-wing with the last spot before the rest 

 of the fascia, — two submarginal rows of whitish lunules 

 enclosing a darker space, — and a very indistinct interior 

 whitish edging to hind-marginal dark line. Fore-wing : 

 rarely a whitish ring in cell. Hind-wiiig : on costa before 

 middle, a white-ringed spot similar to that closing cell ; 

 first and third of liind - marginal spots always distinct, 

 greenish-silvery-dusted and interiorly orange-lunuled, the 

 second indistinct, silvery dusted, — sometimes obsolete. 



$ . Pale-greyish, shot with violaceous-blue from base : a 

 blackish disco-cellular spot and transverse mucular fascia in 



