NOTES ON THE GENUS LYC^NA. 75 



Mr. Gervase Mathew, are very handsome. The blue, which in 

 these specimens is of a violet tint, suffuses nearl}' the whole of 

 the wings up to the large and bright orange crescents. These 

 last are almost confluent, and consequently the orange marking 

 appears band-like, as shown in the Scotch example, PI. II., fig. 0. 

 This particular specimen, however, is only tinged with blue at the 

 bases of the wings, and was figured more especiall}' to show a 

 curious modification of the whitish-blue triangular streak, 

 adverted to above, but which unfortunately does not appear 

 in the colouring. 



UNDER SIDE. 



Normally the under surface of male icarus is pale grey, with 

 a brown tinge on inferior wings ; and that of the female pale 

 brown. The ocelli are alike in both sexes, and in their arrange- 

 ment very similar to those on the under side of corydon, referred 

 to {ante, p. 5). On the inferior wings a white streak starts from 

 the third and fourth hind-marginal orange crescents, and passes 

 between the fourth and fifth ocelli of the central series.* In 

 several male specimens from Sligo the under side coloration is of 

 a pale fulvous brown (PI. II., fig. 4), and a few examples of the 

 same sex from Ventnor are of a somewhat similar tint. 



With regard to variation in the ocelli, all the leading forms of 

 aberrations noticed in corydon {ante, p. 5) are found in icarusA 

 The obsolete type, however, is only represented in ni}^ collection 

 by the form icarinus,l Scriba (PI. II., fig. 4, Sligo; fig. 5, 

 Ventnor). I have taken this aberration in North Devon, Kent, 

 Surrey, and Isle of Wight, and have received it from Scotland 

 and Ireland. § Among my Ventnor specimens of icarus are 

 several examples of the increscent form. In some of these the 

 upper basal spots of the fore wings are elongated, and the lower 

 completely divided ; others have four, and one example five, 



* Stated to pass between fourth and sixth in corydon; but this is only in 

 exceptional cases, where the streak is broad and encloses the fifth ocellus. It 

 usually passes as in icarus, between the fourth and fifth ocelli. 



t I have seen in collections nuiiiy interesting under side aberrations, and all, 

 except perhaps sundry deformed examples, belonged to one or other of the princip.il 

 types adverted to. 



I Absence of the basal spots on fore wing is the distinguishing character of 

 var. icarinus, but in several specimens the last spot of central series has vanished 

 also (PL II., fig. 5). 



§ Mr. Russ, Sligo ; Mr. Mathew, Castletown. 



