200 THE BOOK OF BRITISH BUTTERFLIES. 



male, except that the wings are sprinkled with black 

 scales, has on the fore-wings a wide black margin, 

 broadest at the tip. On the hind-wings also the tip 

 is black, and there is after that a small black spot 

 between each pair of nervures. The under-surface 

 (Fig. 229) is pale whitish-blue in colour, with faint 

 black, linear discoidal spots on all the wings, and 

 besides, on the fore-wings about eight small black 

 marks, and on the hind-wings about fifteen. Many of 

 the marks on both wings have a slightly paler circum- 

 scription. 



233 



LYC^NA SEMIARGUS. 



L. semiargus, Rott., L. acis, SchifT. (Mazarine 

 Blue) (Figs. 232 and 233), is one of the least common 

 of our butterflies, and possibly can scarcely be said to 

 be a British butterfly at all at the present moment, 

 though some years ago it used to be fairly common. 

 In the first half of the century it could be taken in 

 several counties Lincoln, Cambridge, Warwick, Glou- 

 cester, Hereford, Monmouth, Glamorgan, Somerset, 

 Dorset, and Hants ; but no locality could be given for 

 it now, though perhaps it may still be present in some 

 undisturbed districts, especially as it might be passed 

 over on the wing, from its resemblance to one or two 



