WOOD ARGUS. 37 



centre. The hind wings have a pale buff patch near the 

 centre of the wing, but rather outside it, and a still smaller 

 and faint one on their fore edge: towards the margin they 

 have four buff patches, the fore one with a very small dot, 

 or none at all, the next with a larger one, and the two hinder 

 ones with still larger ones, each with a dot of white in its 

 centre. In some specimens the black prevails over the buff 

 more than in others, leaving only a narrow border of the 

 latter colour. 



Underneath, the brown colour of the fore wings is more 

 clouded, the outer corners being much paler, with the eye 

 near the tip shewing through. The hind wings are more 

 varied with waved shades and lines of a darker and a lighter 

 colour, the upper outer corner being paler; and there is a 

 row of five or six white dots, varying in size, near the outer 

 margin, which is darker, and not unfrequently has a tinge of 

 purple, the larger dots being in fact those of the upper side 

 shewing through. 



This is a very variable insect, though preserving on the 

 whole a similarity of appearance. The males are generally 

 smaller and darker in colour than the females, the pale spots 

 on the latter beins^ at the same time larger and more numerous 

 than in the former. 



The figures are from specimens in my own collection. 



