LYC^ENA MINIMA. 2O1 



other Blues. Till a few years ago it held its ground in 

 a locality near Cardiff, but seems now to have quite 

 disappeared from there also It is out in June and July. 

 The costal and hind margins of the wings of the imago 

 (Figs. 232 and 233) are convex and entire ; the fringe is 

 white. The upper surface of the male is a fine purple- 

 blue, becoming black just inside the fringe ; the nervures 

 are dark. The upper surface of the female is dark 

 brown. The under-surface (Fig. 232) is greyish-brown 



LYC^ENA MINIMA. 



with pale blue scales towards the base of the wings. 

 On each wing besides a black discoidal streak edged 

 with white there are several white-edged black spots 

 five on each fore-wing and nine on each hind-wing. 



L. minima, Fues., L. alsus, Fabr. (Bedford Blue, or 

 Little Blue) (Figs. 234 to 237), is far the smallest of 

 the Blues and, indeed, of all our butterflies. It is 

 moreover inconspicuous, and certainly cannot be said 

 to make up in beauty what it lacks in size. Though 



