POLYOMMATUS. 49 



bluish on fore-wings, and greenish on hind-wings. Expands from two-thirds of an inch to an inch 

 and a half. Both the perfect insect and the larva are abundant everywhere during all the fine 

 season throughout Europe, Northern and Western Asia, as far as the Himalayas, and North 

 Africa. The larva is green, with a dark line bordered with paler, dull white transverse streaks, 

 and a yellow stripe on the sides ; head black. It feeds on grass, clover, &c. 



21. P. iT/vj (Ochs.). — Very similar to Icarus, but the male is shining pale blue, with broader 

 black borders, and the female brown ; fringes unspotted. Under side paler, fore-wings with basal 

 eyes, hind-wings with smaller and duller-coloured marginal spots. The fore-wings, too, are more 

 pointed, and the fringes longer. The variety Eroides (Friv.) is larger, the male darker blue above, 

 and the under side purer grey, with larger eyes. Expands from i to i^ inches. Local and not 

 very common on Alpine meadows and slopes in the Pyrenees, Alps, Altai, and the mountains of 

 Western Asia from June to August. It is said to occur on the plains of the middle and lower 

 Volga. The variety Eroides is met with more to the north-east ; in South Russia, East 

 Prussia, &c. 



22. P. Aiitcros (Freyer). — Male pale whitish-blue, with a moderately broad brown border ; fore- 

 wings with a black discoidal spot, and hind-wings with traces of black dots surrounded with orange. 

 Female brown, with a marginal row of large orange spots enclosing black dots on the hind-wings. 

 Under side brownish, with a marginal row of orange spots. The row of eyes on the fore-wings is 

 rather large, and there is one small basal spot within the discoidal spot. Hind-wings with two rows 

 of spots much mixed with white, and a spot at the base. Expands from two-thirds of an inch to 

 an inch. Inhabits South-Eastern Europe and Asia Minor from May to July. 



23. P. Eschcri (Hiibn.), Agestor (Godt.). — Very close to Icarus, but generally larger (from i to 

 \\ inches). The male is a little darker, with silvery white nervures, and the black border is a little 

 broader, and more sharply defined. The female is brown, with marginal orange spots, which fade 

 away gradually towards the tips of the fore-wings. Under side brighter-coloured, with larger eyes, 

 but with no basal eyes on the fore-wings, and the row of eyes before the hind margin is less curved. 

 Found in the Southern Alps, and other mountains of South Europe, from May to July. 



24. P. Aniandus (Schneid.), Icarius (Esp.). — Wings above purplish-blue in the male, fore- 

 wings with a broad suffiised black border, and hind-wings with a narrower one ; fringes white, 

 unspotted. Female like that of Icarus above. Under side with the central row of eyes nearly 

 uniform in size (in the female, those of the fore-wings are the largest) ; fore-wings with no basal 

 eyes, hind-wings with a long and narrow black discoidal spot surrounded with white, and with 

 orange marginal spots. There is no white blotch in the middle, but sometimes a white longitudinal 

 streak running from the marginal orange spots to the discoidal spot. Expands from i to i^J inches. 

 Local in Eastern and Southern Europe and Northern Asia from June to August. It frequents 

 hilly districts, and is confined to the mountains in South- Western Europe ; it is unknown in the 

 north-west. 



25. P. Chirou (Rott.), Enmedon (Esp.). — Brown, with a black discoidal spot on the fore-wings, 

 and a marginal row of orange spots on the hind-wings in the female ; fringes white, unspotted. 

 Under side brownish-grey, with the central row of eyes larger on the fore-wings than on the hind- 

 wings, and with marginal orange spots. No basal spots on the fore-wings ; the discoidal spot of 

 the hind-wings surrounded with white, and with a broad white streak running from it to the eyes. 

 Expands from i to i| inches. It is found from June to August in damp meadows, and its range 

 is similar to that of the last species, except that it occurs in Western Asia also. In the Alps and 

 the south of Europe it appears to be exclusively a mountain insect. 



26. P. Idas (Ramb.). — Brown ; fore-wings with a black discoidal lunule sometimes marked 

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