NORTHUMBERLAND AND DURHAM. 2 1 1 



Larva. Ililh. Gesch. Pap. II. Gens. A. h. 1. — Dup. Icon. 

 i. 111. 1 ^f. 25. 

 The smallest of our Butterflies ; local, frequenting rather dry 

 grassy places during the month of June. Marsden — Witton-le- 

 Wear — Castle Eden Dene— old coal heap, opposite Wylam. 

 Shull. — Wm. Backhouse, Esq. "Castle Eden Dene, Ragpetli, 

 near Flass." — Ornshifs Durham. "Twizell" — P. J. Selhy, Esq. 



3. P. Alexis, Schiff. 



Papilio Alexis, Schiff. W. V. 184..— Rub. Pap. 292-294.— 

 Wood Ind. Ent. t. 3, / 69. Pa. Argus, Don. Brit. Ins. 

 iv. dS, pi. 143, mas. Polyommatus xUexis, Steph. Illust. 

 Haust. i. 91. — S taint. Man. i. 60. 

 Larva. Hiib. Gesch. Pap. II. Gens. A. a. b. — Dup. Icon. i. 

 pi. 7,/ 24. 

 The most abundant of our small Butterflies, appearing in every 

 grassy lane and field at the end of May, and continuing until 

 early in July. A second brood occurs in August, and flies till 

 late in September. Wallis says, " The small skij-hlue Butterfly 

 appears in the latter end of May or beginning of June, in warm 

 vales. It is a beautiful insect of a nimble wing." It is included 

 in the Stockton, Durham, and Twizell lists. 



4. P. Agestis, Schiff. 



Papilio Agestis, Scluff. W. V. 184, 13.— Hub. Pap. 303-306. 

 Woodlnd.Ent. t. 2,/. 72 ;t.3,f. 9. Papilio Idas, Haw. Lep. 

 Brit. 46. Do7i. Brit. Ins. x. 74, j)! 322, / 2. Polyom- 

 matus Agestis, Steph. Illust. Haust. i. 94. — Staint. Man. 

 i. 61. 



Var. Polyommatus Salmacis, Steph. Illust. Haust. iii. 235. 

 — Wood Ind. Ent. t. S,f. 72 and 12.* 



* I miirht perhaps have added a reference to Hlibner's species AIloUs, pL 200, which Mr. 

 Doubleday informs me, some specimens of our local variety, he took to Paris some 

 years ago, were pronounced to be by the French Entomologists. I can find no account of 

 the specimens figured on the above plate. They represent an insect certainly closely allied 

 to our Salmacis, but larger than any specimen I have seen, witli tlieciliie of the anterior 

 wings uniformly brown, without anj- distinct black spot on the disk, and the undersides of 

 all the wings having all the ocelli fully developed as in the type Agestis. The band of 

 orange spots on the upper side is confined to the posterior wings in one of the figures, 988, 

 and in another 990, is entirely wanting. The fomur is placed by Dr. Heydenreich, 

 in his Catalogue, as a variety of Agestis ; and the latter as the Idas of Kambur, de- 

 scribed from Andalusian specimens, wliich species, however, is by Dr. Herricli-RchaflTer 

 thought not distinct from Agestis. 



