Gynandromorphous Agriades coridon. 245 



occur year after yeav. They are very scarce; and, since 

 they cannot be distinguished in flight from normal females, 

 they may be overlooked very easily. I estimated roughly 

 that one was present in every 2000 females, and Picket I 

 says he took 6(j amongst 60,000 females, or approximately 

 one in 900. 



Mr. P. M. Bright has a specimen taken at Tring in 1899. 

 Mr. A. E. Gibbs made a preliminary investigation of the 

 Tring and Dunstable chalk hills in 1915, and, although 

 the weather was very unfavourable, two specimens were 

 captured near Dun. -table. I examined the Tring and 

 Dunstable specimens, and found that they agreed with 

 Royston examples in having the wings on one side smaller 

 than those on the other and dusted with blue scales, 

 coarse hair scales and androconia. 



These specimens from such outlying localities in Hert- 

 fordshire and Bedfordshire suggest that wherever coridon 

 occurs in these counties gynandromorphs of this kind will 

 be found. The only specimen, of which I have certain 

 knowledge, taken outside these counties is the one already 

 mentioned in the Hodgson Collection at Cambridge, Bel 

 on a gilt pin and labelled " Bevingdean, 7. 9. 1888." 

 According to Tutt this is Bevendean near Brighton. The 

 gynandromorphous specimen captured by Briggs on the 

 Sheep Leas, Horsley, Surrey (Entom., xx, p. 266), is 

 stated by Tutt to be female on the left side and male on 

 the right side, with the wings slightly smaller on the male 

 side. This reduction in size of the wings on the male side 

 makes it probable that this is an instance of the same 

 phenomenon. 



The great excess of females over males at Royston 

 has led to the suggestion that there may be a connection 

 between it and the prevalence of the preponderantly 

 female gynandromorphs. Some evidence of this may 

 be obtained by noting whether it occurs at Tring and 

 Dunstable and elsewhere in Hertfordshire, and in the 

 Brighton district. 



Family and Hereditary Character. 

 We know that gynandromorphism of various kinds 

 may be familial or hereditary. Though direct proof that 

 it is familial is lacking in the case of the Royston gynandro- 

 morphs, there is circumstantial evidence in favour of its 

 being so. They are so rare that one may Bearch for a 



TRANS. ENT. SOC. LOND. 1916. — PART II. (DEC.) R 



