138 LYCAINID, EVERES. 
DESCRIPTION: MALE. UPPERSIDE, doth wings blue with an outer black margin of very 
variable width; sometimes with a black disco-cellular spot. Ci/ia whitish throughout. Aindwing 
with a more or less prominent marginal series of black spots, sometimes indistinctly crowned 
with orange ; the wing outwardly bounded by a very fine white line and an anteciliary fine black 
line ; tail very variable in length, tipped with white, the shaft more or less white. UNDERSIDE, 
both wings sometimes almost pure white, often more or less sullied with brownish, Forewing 
witha fine blackish line on the disco-cellular nervules, a discal series of spots, sometimes brownish 
and confluent into a macular band, sometimes well separated, distinct, black surrounded 
by a fine white line ; two somewhat indistinct submarginal series of dark lunules, the inner 
series sometimes very prominent and formed into large guadrate spots ; an anteciliary fine black 
line. Hindwing with the disco-cellular nervules defined by a narrow dark line ; sometimes 
with four prominent black spots only, one beyond the middle of the costa, two near the base, 
and one near the middle of the abdominal margin, an obscure discal irregular series of pale 
brown spots, the marginal series of lunules as in the forewing, bearing two prominent black 
spots beyond the tail, irrorated with greemish-silvery scales and crowned broadly with orange ; 
sometimes with the discal irregular series of spots as prominent and as black as the rest, 
with acomplete marginal silver-spangled series of black spots, with a broad orange band 
placed inwardly against them ; a fine anteciliary black line. FEMALE. UPPERSIDE, both 
wings sometimes entirely sooty black, sometimes with the basal and discal area of the forewing 
and the disc of the hindwing blue, sometimes the entire upper surface almost as blue as in 
the blackest-bordered males, but the blue of a different shade. Hindwing with the marginal 
black spots usually more prominent thanin the male. UNDERSIDE, doth wings as in the male. 
The above description is drawn up from Indian specimens only. The variations indicated 
appear to be confined to no particular locality, though I believe there is a very marked seasonal 
dimorphisin in many localities, the lightest-coloured males and females occurring in the 
dry-season, the dark males and completely black females in the rains. No author has placed 
the Jarrhasius of Fabricius and the diZora of Moore as synonyms of argiades, but no author 
has undertaken to show how these three species differ, Ican find absolutely no character 
by which to separate them ;in every direction the species isa most variable one, and these 
variations are not confined to any particular region or locality, though every variation could 
not perhaps be found in any one place. In Europe Dr. Lang says that ZL. argiades has ‘‘two 
or three broods in the year; the individuals of the spring brood are smaller than those which 
appear later in the season ; and to these the name folysferchon, Bergstrasser, is generally given, 
Besides this seasonal variation, there is an aberration found at the same time and in the 
same localities as the typical form: thisis the coretas, Ochsenheimer, which differs from the 
type in the absence of the orange spots on the underside.” Ihave not seen any Indian speci- 
mens with no orange whatever below, though many have that colour quite obsolescent. Mr. 
Elwes writes : '‘ This species seems to be widely distributed through Northern and Eastern 
Asia, China, and Japan, I have compared many specimens from Amurland, Shanghai, and 
Japan, and find them so very variable, both in size, colour, and the spots of the hindwing, 
that Iam unable to see how the larger and brighter specimens described as Z. Aellotia, MEnétriés, 
and LZ. praxiteles, Felder, can be separated from L. argiades. As a rule the Oriental and Japanese 
specimens are larger and more richly spotted, especially at Tokio, Japan ; but some of those from 
Askold and Shanghai are quite as small as German specimens of ZL. Jolysperchon, Berg- 
strisser. This variety also occurs on the Ussuri at Raddefskaia and Askold.” Mr. Leech 
writes : ‘Common all over Japan and Corea during the warm months. It varies in size from 3¢ 
inch to 1% inches. The female also varies in colour and markings, some specimens being 
much suffused with blue.” Mr, Pryer writes of the Japan form : ‘* This species is very abun- 
dant, and a succession of broods appears during the year ; they vary much in size, and female 
specimens are often to be found with more or less blue on the upperside.” 
In India 2. avgiades occurs in the moister portions of Ladak, throughout Kashmir, all 
along the Himalayas, in Assam, Burma, at Bholahat in the Malda District, Orissa, Ganjam, 
