SOME MINOR BUTTERFLY ABERRATIONS OF 1918. 249 



are blunter and the outer margin rounded, in some examples 

 much more than others. Although I examined some fifty repre- 

 sentatives of the first brood, only one female was noticed : so 

 naturally I am unable to give any particulars of the gentler — 

 and perhaps more handsome — sex. Why this great disparity 

 between the sexes I am unable to say, although males are always 

 the most abundant. 



Euchlo'e cardaiimies. — Of the males several deserve notice. 

 Two had the discoidal spot absent, and were both taken on 

 the same day (at vShelford) out of probably twenty specimens 

 examined— a rather high percentage. Other forms of interest 

 are two with the usual grey or greyish-black apical patch deep 

 black, and, in the better insect, extending along the veins into 

 almost the middle of the neighbouring orange, presenting a 

 most handsome effect. These were also from Shelford, and I 

 wish I had given more time to this locality, as the Fens proper 

 and the chalk district of Cambridge produced hardly anything 

 in the way of varieties. However, a few otherwise typical males 

 from Chippenham had the discoidal spot at the edge instead of 

 in the orange area, which is supposed to be peculiar to var. 

 turritis {hesperidis, Newn.)- 



Dwarf forms of both the male and female were not uncommon 

 at Shelford, the males presenting the usual smooth and slender 

 appearance, and having the fore wings narrower than in the 

 type. But as the aforesaid spot was well within the orange 

 patch, I suppose they cannot be considered as true turritis, 

 although in my experience the position of the spot proves 

 nothing, as witness the Chippenham specimens. 



Females. — Nothing very striking appeared, but two must be 

 mentioned. They were taken on the chalk near Cambridge. 

 One (rather small) has the discoidal spot very strongly pro- 

 nounced, and branching off at the top along the subcostal vein, 

 where it joins the blackish area around the body. This gives the 

 butterfly a quite menacing look, as it appears to be frowning ! 



No. 2, a large specimen measuring 2 in. in expanse, has the 

 discoidal spot as small as that of an average male, and the 

 ground-colour on one side extending through the usual blackish 

 " tip " to the apex splitting the patch into two. 



Aricia medon (first brood). — A good <? referable to var. 

 allous was captured on the Via Devana, together with several 

 intermediate forms. 



Cupido winimus (first brood). — This little species has an even 

 wider range around Cambridge than I anticipated, although 

 always very local. The neighbourhood of Shelford produced the 

 best specimens, and a very good best it was ! They are all over 

 the usual size, and some, perhaps, deserve the name of giants. 



The smallest (a S) measured y^o i'^-' ^^^ *^^® largest (also 



