24 SOUTH-AFRICAX BUTTERFLIES. 



paler traversing streak in hind- marginal dark border extremely indis- 

 tinct. Hind-winfi : lunular white marks of inner submarginal row 

 acutely sagittiform, more or less shot with blue, farther than usual 

 from outer row ; rings formed by those of outer row with hind-marginal 

 whitish line rather indistinct ; black spot and adjoining orange-yellow 

 lunule better marked than in ^ (in one example a second much fainter 

 orange lunule between second and third median nervules). Under side. 

 — As in ^ ; hind-marginal white line wider, rather suffused. 



The (J of this beautiful Lycoena is well characterised by the glossy 

 shining sux-face of its blue uj)per side, which in tint is almost identical with 

 that of L. patricia. As shown by the features of the under side in both 

 sexes emphasised in the above description, Caffrarice diverges from the Par- 

 simon group and approximates more towards Aster is, Godt. , — a tendency also 

 indicated in the darker upper side of the female. 



I have not seen many specimens of this form. Colonel Bowker forwarded 

 a few from Kaffraria Proper in 1863 or 1S64, and a single male from King 

 William's Town in 1S72. In January and February 1870 I met with several 

 of both sexes in the Albany District of Cape Colony. They frequented 

 the most elevated hills, flying with some swiftness over the bushes and 

 herbage. 



Localities of Lycccna Caffraricc, 



I. South Africa. 



B. Cape Colony. — Grahamstown, New Year's River, and Zwaart- 



water's Poort, Albany District. King William's Town (/, //. 



Bowlier). 

 D. Kaffraria Proper. — Bashee River (/. //. Bowlier). 



125. (7.) Lycsena Asteris, (Godart). 



Plate VIII. figs. 3 ( c? ), 3^ ( $ )■ 



(5 $ Polyommatus Asteris, Godt, Enc. Meth., ix. p. 657, n. 137 (1819). 

 Lijama Celmis, Trim, [part], Rhop. Afr. Aust., ii. p. 247, n. 148 (1866.) 



RvjJ. al, ($) I in. 6-y^ lin. ; ($) i in. 7^-9 lin. 



t Bark violaceous blue ; a hlachisJi hind-marginal border, continuous 

 and rather narrow in fore-wing {rarely traversed close to its outer edge by 

 a slender white line), mactdar or submacidar in hind-ioing ; cilia white, 

 oiar-roivly fuscous near origin, in fore-ioing somewhat irregidarly mixed 

 with fuscous, in hind-wing incomjolctely interrupted with fuscous cd ex- 

 treinities of nervules. Fore-iving : terminal disco-cellular fuscous lunule 

 slender, rarely indistinct ; costa very narrowly edged with fuscous. 

 Hind-ioing : costa bordered with fuscous above first subcostal nervule, 

 and apical area as far as second subcostal nervure ; maculee of hind- 

 marginal border relieved by more or less complete rings of bluish- 

 white ; spot between first and second median nervules rather larger 

 than the rest, black, inwardly edged by a faint, usually imperfect, thin, 

 yellow lunule ; tail on first median nervule extremely short, black. 

 Under side. — P<dc greyish-brown, darlccr in hind-wiug ; disco-cellular 



