LYC^ENA ARGIADES. 185 



concentrated in the female. Parallel to the hind-margin of 

 the hind-wings is a row of pale-edged spots, the two nearest 

 the anal angle being much brighter than the rest, the last 

 but one especially so. These are more strongly developed 

 in the female, which sex has also a line of whitish spots 

 parallel to these. The under-surface (Fig. 204) is pale 

 drab, thickly streaked with a darker tint and with a 

 whitish band parallel to the hind-margin of all the 

 wings, and about a third of the way in. There are 

 near the anal angle of the hind-wings two large black 

 spots edged on the outer side with metallic-green. 



L. argiades, Pall. (Short-tailed Blue), though possibly 

 a native of England, has been recorded no more than five 

 times: two in 1874, two miles from Frome ; and three 

 in 1885, a female, August i8th, at Bloxworth Heath, 

 Dorset, a male, August 2oth, at the same place, and 

 another specimen on August 2ist near Bournemouth. 

 It may be that others have been taken and wrongly 

 classified, as this butterfly closely resembles both agon 

 and icarus on the upper surface. The food-plant is the 

 Narrow-leaved Bird's-foot Trefoil {Lotus major). Argiades 

 should be sought for from May till August. There may 

 be as many as three broods in a season, the spring 

 brood producing the largest specimens. 



The costal margin of the male imago is convex, and 

 the hind-margin of all the wings entire, except for a 

 minute tail near the anal angle of the hind-wings. Inside 

 the white fringe is a narrow, dark line. The under- 

 surface is pale silvery-blue, with black dots, and in 

 general appearance somewhat closely resembles the under- 

 surface of L. argiolus. 



L. aegon, Schiff. (Silver-studded Blue) (Figs. 205 to 208), 

 though one of the smallest of our Blues, is, as far as the 

 male is concerned, one of the handsomest. It should 



