LYC^ENIDJE. 



middle darker, much more regular, united at end of cell with 

 brown cloud ; the white spot enlarged to a broad whitish 

 inner-marginal space, and more deeply incising the cloud by 

 a conspicuous acute dash between first and second medians : 

 hind-marginal spots smaller, duller than in Lingeus, the lower 

 often obsolete. 



$ . Cupreous-brown, more or less shot with violet from 

 "bases ; or dull greyish-brown, without any violet lustre. 

 Fore-wing : an indistinct disco-cellular spot. Hind-wing : 

 black spot whitish-ringed, sometimes dusted with bluish- 

 silvery : indistinct traces of a hind-marginal row of whitish 

 rings or lunules. UNDER-SIDE. As in $ . 



Common. Open ground generally. 



Apparently throughout the year, but not noticed in May or July. 



Of this pretty little species I have two examples little more than seven 

 lines in expanse of wings so that it is worthy of the pigmy distinction of 

 being held the smallest of the South African Butterflies. A greater 

 number of small specimens of L. Messapus are met with, on an average, but 

 I have never found this species less than eight lines in expanse. Palemon 

 is a very low flier, and settles very frequently on low flowers. It seems to 

 prefer damp spots. 



Cape Town. Caledon (J. X. Merriman). Knysna. Plet- 

 tenberg Bay. Coll. Tri. 



" From Graham's Town to King William's Town." W. 

 D'Urban, in litt. 



Cape Town. Bashee River, Kaffraria (J. H. Bowker). 

 Coll. S. A. Mus. 



South Africa. Coll. Brit. Mus. 



142. Lycsena Theophrastus. 



Hesperia Theophrastus, Fab., Ent. Syst., Ill, 1, p. 281, 



[n. 82. 



Polyommatus Theophrastus, Godt., Enc. Meth., IX, p. 658. 



Lycaena Theophrastus, Horsf., Cat. Lep. E. I. C. Mus., 



[p. 73. 



Exp. 9 in. 1 in. 



$ . Glistening violet-blue, with a narrow blackish hind- 

 marginal edging : cilia white. Fore-wing : a thin, blackish, 

 costal line ; a conspicuous broad, blackish lunule closing cell. 

 Hind-wing between second and third median nervules a 

 blackish hind-marginal spot ; hind-marginal blackish inwardly 

 edged with a white line. UNDER-SIDE. White, with black 

 strice and spots : in each wing a streak along lower edge of 

 costal nervure, twice as long in fore-wing as in hind -wing, 

 a streak closing cell, an irregular, much curved and inter- 

 rupted, transverse row of narrow spots rather beyond middle 



