98 Lloyd's natural history. 



bluish or greenish, the fore-wings usually having two ocelli to- 

 wards the base (which are absent in the variety P. icarinus) 

 within the discoidal lunule, and a curved row of oceUi near the 

 middle, succeeded by a continuous row of dusky crescents, 

 edged with reddish-yellow externally, and beyond this there is 

 a row of small dusky spots on a whitish ground ; a black line 

 at the base of the fringes. The hind-wings have generally four 

 oceUi near the base ; an angular white spot near the middle, 

 frequently having a black streak in its centre; a curved band 

 of eight or nine ocelli, succeeded by a seri-^^s of markings 

 similar to those on the fore-wings, but the crescents and 

 fulvous spots are larger and more conspicuous. A wh"te 

 blotch near the middle unites the band of ocelli with the 

 fulvous crescents. 



This species is so variable, not only in colour and markings, 

 but even in the form of the wings, that the older entomolo- 

 gists described several forms as new species, which are now 

 considered to be merely varieties of P. icarus ; and others they 

 mistook for different Continental species wh'ch do not occur 

 in England. Thus, Stephens mistook a variety of P. icarus 

 for P. titho7ms (Hiibner = P. eros^ Ochsenheimer), a pale blue 

 species with broad brown borders, found in the Swiss Alps, 

 and almost impossible to be found in Britain. Specimens of 

 P. icarus are sometimes met with, in which the colouring of 

 both sexes are combined, the wings on one side exhibiting Hie 

 colours of the male, and on the other those of the female. 

 These are called gynandromorphous individuals. Variable as 

 this species is, it can yet be easily distinguished, in most cases, 

 from any of the allied British species. 



The larva is green, pubescent, with a darker dorsal stripe, 

 and with lighter stripes on the sides; the pupa is also green. 

 The larva feeds on a variety of low plants. 



