312 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



P. icarus. — Fairly common and widely distributed. 



Agriades thersites. — Dr. Chapman states in the ' Transactions ' of 

 the Entomological Society of London for the year 1912 that he took 

 this rediscovered species at Albarracin, and therefore we kept a 

 sharp look-out for it. As a matter of fact, it was the first Lycaenid 

 we saw, a female being taken on May 18th flying in a sainfoin field 

 in the Guadalavier valley, and from that date onwards for about a 

 fortnight a few specimens were taken each day; the condition of 

 these got gradually worse, but in early June there seemed to be 

 another emergence; at any rate, fresh specimens again occurred. 

 With the exception of one or two males found sunning themselves 

 on rocks in a gorge, I did not see this species elsewhere than in the 

 sainfoin fields; it flew with P. icarus and was certainly as common 

 as that species. I had three females put up for ova, but un- 

 fortunately, though carefully tended and fed, they would not oblige 

 me, though they lived for many days and seemed quite at home 

 amongst the flowers of almost every leguminous plant growing in 

 the district, including, of course, sainfoin, which, from the fact that 

 the females were found only amongst it, I cannot help suspecting 

 would be one of the plants the larva feeds upon. 



My series of twelve males and four females varies considerably in 

 size, ranging from 29-39 mm. in expanse. My Albarracin P. icarus 

 singularly have a maximum and minimum expanse practically the 

 same. 



When one knows the distinguishing characteristics of these 

 species, a glance is sufficient to separate them. In addition to the 

 points of difference given by Dr. Chapman, my specimens have the 

 bases of the superiors underneath with distinctly fewer blue scales in 

 A. thersites; the under side of the inferiors in the males is more 

 brown and not so grey, and the orange lunules are more distinct 

 than is the case in P. icarus. 



All the females of P. icarus are ab. caerulea, and the whole of the 

 A. thersites females are equally blue, though the blue is of a ))righter 

 tint, not so purple. Dr. Chapman does not mention this form, for 

 which I propose the name of ab. azagra, n. ab. 



A. escheri. — This species was first seen on June 10th, and was not 

 common at the time of my departure. The specimens do not appear 

 to differ from my French or Swiss examples, except that my solitary 

 female has the orange lunules on the upper side of a brighter and 

 lighter colour. 



A. hellargus. — Abundant, a very fine form, my largest male 

 expanding 42 mm. as against the 40 mm. expanse of my largest 

 French and 37 mm. largest British examples. 



Amongst my series of males are three of what I think is a very 

 rare European form, i. e. with orange spots showing on the upper 

 sides of the inferiors. Tutt named this form ab. rufolineata, and 

 states that it is found in Algeria and at Gibraltar. I find that 

 there are specimens in the National Collection labelled " Portugal " and 

 " Algiers." Evidently the form is a dry district one. 



A. corydon. — This species was not out at the date of Mr. Jones's 

 departure from Albarracin, and the only remark I have to make 

 respecting it is with regard to its food-plant. I have sometimes 



