132 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



VARIETIES OF RHOPALOCERA NEAR DOVER. 

 By Sydney Webb. 



Certain localities appear to be more favourable than others 

 to development of aberrations among the Lepidoptera, but 

 probably there is no district, excepting that lying between the 

 points occupied by the towns of Folkestone and Deal, where an 

 entomologist can purposely make an excursion after varieties 

 with every prospect of success. It may therefore perhaps interest 

 the readers of the ' Entomologist ' if I give a list of the principal 

 specimens which have been brought under my notice during the 

 last collecting-season (1887), condensing the descriptions as 

 much as possible, it being borne in mind that the facies of each 

 insect is normal in ground colour or markings excepting when 

 otherwise stated. 



Euchloe cat'damines. — One male example in which the usual 

 orange tips are replaced by clear yellow. 



Argynnis aglaia. — Markings of upper wings prolonged to the 

 centre of the disc, thus forming an irregular black band. 



Vanessa urticce. — One specimen with blue lunules of the hind 

 margins elongated in the direction of the bases. This variety, 

 although a slight one in itself, is very striking to the eye. 



Melanargia galatea. — These insects, usually so stereotyped 

 in appearance, varied more than usual. In 1883, its last year 

 of variation here, the marginal line of pale spots were often 

 wanting, but in no instance did this occur last year. On the 

 contrary, specimens with the two posterior discal blotches of the 

 primaries broken up into lines occurred in each of these years, 

 as well as individuals in which the markings of the hind wings 

 made uniform bands. One example had the hind wings uniformly 

 black. One had the fore wings shaped like Gonopteryx rhamni, 

 and this grotesque appearance also obtained in an autumnal 

 Lyccena hellargus. 



Epinephele ianira. — The usual (so-called) sun-bleached 

 specimens of course occurred. One male with an alar expanse 

 of one inch and a quarter only. E. hyperanthus was unusually 

 scarce, owing probably to the stormy weather at the time they 

 should have been seen on the wing. No variety arete this year. 



Ccenonympha pamphiliis. — None of the pale variety this year, 



