246 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



no practical difference. Some of the latter are quite as small as the 

 Abisko forms, and the markings and coloration of the under side is 

 equally pale ; while some Arctic specimens are as large as the largest 

 optilete from Brenner and elsewhere in that region. 



L. icarus. — The males from both localities vary not at all from the 

 ordinary British type on the upper side, or the under side. The 

 females, in addition to those mentioned as ab. ccErulea from Abisko, 

 are much suffused with blue. In the Alten specimens this tendency 

 is less pronounced ; but one shows an almost black ground colour, the 

 blue shining lustrously over it, as in the females of legidion. 



L., var. cci/idion. — All the Abisko females shot with bright blue, and 

 resembling those of the type (= callarga, Stgr.). Alten forms, as with 

 preceding species, less brilliant. 



Anji/nnis aphirape, var. ossiamis (?). — I am in some doubt whether 

 this form from Abisko should not properly be referred to the type. 



A. euphrosijne. — This, from Abisko, is certainly typical, and I 

 did not come across the var. Jimjal there. Eather smaller than 

 British form. 



A. thorevav. borealis. — So much lighter, and more distinctly marked, 

 in both sexes than the type from Central Europe, that it presents 

 superficially the appearance of a distinct species. 



A. pales. — I have two short series from Abisko and Alten, respec- 

 tively. Of the former, some of the males are clearly referable to 

 Staudinger's var. lapponica — a connecting-link between the type and 

 var. arsilache; but, as Sparre- Schneider remarks, this butterfly in 

 the north does not vary nearly as much as in the Swiss Alps. My 

 observations there further bear out his statement, that pales is 

 monomorphic in these regions ; that is to say, it does not present the 

 familiar napic.a form of the female. The Alten specimens, as a whole, 

 I refer to the var. arsilache. They are much more variable ; the 

 females very large and splendidly marked on the under side, fore and 

 hind wings alike. Schneider mentions that the tendency to melanism 

 is rare; but I took one beautiful male ^thought at the time to be 

 A. chariclea), in which the inner marginal band of upper and lower 

 wings is much suffused on the upper side, while the under side is also 

 more sombrely coloured than usual. Tiie females are remarkably fine, 

 one of them measuring as much as two and a half inches across the 

 expanded wings. (Specimens from Bydalen also strongly marked 

 throughout, the males large and brilliant.) As to the separation of 

 pales and arsilache, as good species respectively, these northern ex- 

 amples suggest much the same divergence as those from the Alps. 

 There is a distinct mountain and bog development. Surroundings 

 and, according to Schneider, different food-plants seem to have given 

 rise to forms, or species-in-the-making, at least as well pronounced as, 

 say, Parnassins apollo and P. dclius, 



A. freija appeared to be rare at Abisko, but probably not out at the 

 time I was there. Two specimens only. 



Erebia medusa (? var. pularis). — Seen at Alten only. Males with 

 none, or at most a single ocellation on upper side of fore wings. 

 Females extremely variable in size, and extent of rusty blotches and 

 eye-spots. 



E. lappona. — Broad rusty blotches of a lively brown, and very 



