﻿The 
  ECCENTRIC 
  MOVEMENTS 
  OF 
  THE 
  HIND-WINGS 
  IN 
  CyANIRIS 
  

  

  ARGiOLUS, 
  L. 
  — 
  Prof. 
  Poulton 
  said 
  that 
  he 
  had 
  received 
  the 
  

   following 
  note 
  from 
  Dr. 
  R. 
  C. 
  L. 
  Perkins 
  :— 
  

  

  " 
  Park 
  Hill 
  House, 
  

   " 
  Paignton, 
  

  

  "^M(7. 
  6, 
  1918. 
  

  

  " 
  It 
  became 
  very 
  bright 
  and 
  sunny 
  at 
  12 
  (noon) 
  to-day 
  after 
  

   heavy 
  rain, 
  and 
  just 
  outside 
  my 
  door 
  at 
  1 
  p.m. 
  I 
  saw 
  a 
  ? 
  Holly 
  

   Blue 
  {0. 
  argiolus) 
  settle 
  in 
  a 
  sheltered 
  place 
  on 
  a 
  foreign 
  myrtle. 
  

   I 
  watched 
  it 
  for 
  ten 
  minutes 
  exactly. 
  At 
  first 
  it 
  made 
  slight 
  

   up 
  and 
  down 
  movements 
  of 
  the 
  hind-wings 
  — 
  hardly 
  per- 
  

   ceptible, 
  but 
  after 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  minutes 
  it 
  made, 
  in 
  the 
  most 
  

   pronounced 
  manner, 
  the 
  characteristic 
  movement 
  of 
  the 
  hind- 
  

   wings 
  seen 
  in 
  tailed 
  species. 
  When 
  the 
  right-hand 
  wing 
  was 
  

   elevated 
  the 
  left 
  was 
  depressed; 
  they 
  were 
  not 
  moved 
  alter- 
  

   nately. 
  The 
  movements 
  only 
  lasted 
  for 
  at 
  most 
  thirty 
  seconds. 
  

   Except 
  that 
  it 
  opened 
  and 
  shut 
  its 
  wings 
  — 
  opened 
  at 
  most 
  to 
  

   about 
  one-third— 
  at 
  various 
  times 
  no 
  further 
  movement 
  was 
  

   made 
  till 
  just 
  ten 
  minutes 
  after 
  I 
  first 
  observed 
  it. 
  It 
  then 
  

   again 
  performed 
  the 
  up 
  and 
  down 
  movements 
  very 
  vigorously. 
  

   These 
  movements 
  were 
  continued 
  for 
  fully 
  a 
  minute, 
  but 
  with 
  

   two 
  slight 
  pauses 
  of 
  a 
  few 
  seconds. 
  The 
  raising 
  of 
  the 
  hind- 
  

   wing 
  was 
  sufficient 
  to 
  hide 
  about 
  one-third 
  of 
  the 
  exposed 
  

   surface 
  of 
  the 
  front 
  one, 
  and 
  therefore 
  very 
  conspicuous. 
  

   The 
  movement 
  in 
  tailed 
  and 
  untailed 
  Lycaenids 
  alike 
  is 
  

   interesting, 
  and 
  it 
  would 
  be 
  worth 
  while 
  to 
  get 
  observations 
  

   on 
  many 
  species. 
  I 
  have 
  often 
  observed 
  the 
  movements 
  in 
  

   L. 
  boetica, 
  L. 
  (tailed), 
  and 
  many 
  exotic 
  Lycaenidae 
  (Australian 
  

   and 
  others), 
  but 
  have 
  no 
  notes 
  of 
  details." 
  

  

  Prof. 
  Poulton 
  said 
  that 
  he 
  too 
  had 
  observed 
  on 
  the 
  same 
  

   day 
  (Aug. 
  6) 
  the 
  movements 
  of 
  a 
  ? 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  species 
  at 
  rest 
  

   in 
  the 
  garden 
  of 
  St. 
  Helens 
  Cottage, 
  St. 
  Helens, 
  Isle 
  of 
  Wight. 
  

   In 
  this 
  individual 
  the 
  vestigial 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  movements 
  

   was 
  suggested 
  by 
  their 
  feebleness. 
  They 
  took 
  place 
  when 
  

   the 
  wings 
  were 
  partly 
  open 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  when 
  they 
  were 
  closed, 
  

   and 
  were 
  renewed 
  after 
  long 
  intervals 
  of 
  motionlessness. 
  

  

  Prof. 
  Poulton 
  said 
  that 
  he 
  had 
  received 
  a 
  note 
  from 
  Dr. 
  

   Mortensen, 
  commenting 
  on 
  the 
  suggestions 
  in 
  Proc. 
  Ent. 
  Soc, 
  

   1918, 
  p. 
  xlvi 
  :— 
  

  

  