( Ixxix ) 



and the spotting of the under-side, and the presence of blue in 

 the females), very constant in its northern and central range, 

 but developes local races alike in the south-east and the south- 

 west. The names of these forms have been complicated greatly 

 owing to Staudinger's failure to look up the original descrip- 

 tions. The Spanish races are three : — 



(a) albicans, Bdv., originally described by Eambitr without 

 a name, and eventually named from this description in the 

 following year by Boisduval. This is the Sierra Nevada form ; 

 very large ; very white, and weakly marked beneath ; 



(b) arragonensis, Gerh. ( = albicans, H.-S.) ; the bluish figure 

 with white wedge-shaped dashes inside the border in Herrich 

 Schiiffer's work and the greenish white figure of Gerhard 

 would never be taken to represent the same form, except by 

 those who happen to know the insects. But really they 

 represent only the way in which the light falls on the wings 

 — full in one case, sideways in the other; 



(c) hispana, H.-S. This, both according to the author's 

 figure and description, is a bright blue form, but Staudinger 

 none the less calls it albicans, and regards it as equivalent to 

 arragonensis. It should be noted, also, that this form runs 

 through the whole gamut of aberration of the typical coridon. 



The Eastern races are also three in number ; — 



(a) olymjjica, Lederer, which he calls "milk-blue," but, as 

 we have his specimens in the National Collection, we know 

 that, in this case, "milk" must represent a colour between 

 that of coridon and that of icarus ; 



(b) caucasica, Led., of which we have also the type specimens 

 in the National Collection, and which are of a " royal " blue like 

 the last brood of icarus in Central Italy, and as now seen in a 

 single magnificent example exhibited by Mr. Bethune-Baker ; 



(c) conjdonius, H.-S., more of the thetis colour, or at least 

 approaching it ; Gerhard's var, ossmar exactly corresponding 

 with Lederer's specimens of ohjnqnca. There are besides 

 sporadic examples of a meleager — blue colour ( =^;o/o?m.s, Zeller), 

 which, so far as we know at present, must be regarded, at 

 least temporarily, as hybrids, tJietis x coridon ; and the fact that 

 they are taken in Central Italy both among thetis and among 

 coridon is a strong argument in support of this conclusion. 



