Mazarine Blue Little Blue 



The caterpillar is green, with a dark line on the back, 

 and a black head. It feeds on the flowers of Holly, Ivy, 

 and Buckthorn. 



Being double-brooded, the perfect insect appears first 

 in April and May, and again in August. It is gener- 

 ally distributed in England, though commonest in the 

 South ; not known to occur in Scotland. 



THE MAZARINE BLUE(Lyc*ena semlargus]^ Plate XV., 

 Figs. 7 and 8. Males, a very dark purple-blue in 

 fact, this is our darkest " Blue," and shares the distinc- 

 tion with the Long-Tailed Blue of being extremely 

 scarce. Possibly those met with now are visitors from 

 the Continent. The blue deepens into a black border 

 at the margins ; fringe short and white. Female, a 

 uniform dark brown ; under side a pale buff colour, 

 with an irregular row of black spots edged with white. 

 There are no orange spots on this species. It is said 

 to feed on Thrift ; hence it is likeliest to be met with 

 near the coast during July. Good Continental speci- 

 mens can be purchased cheaply, or got by exchange. 

 And I hold it is better to fill in your row with these, 

 carefully labelling them to indicate their source, than to 

 have an empty space always staring you in the face. 

 Unless this species becomes more common, the average 

 collector's chance of capturing British specimens is 

 exceedingly remote. 



THE LITTLE BLUE (Lye ana Minima) t Plate XIII., 

 Fig. 3. The smallest of our butterflies, the average 

 expanse being only f inch. Male, blackish-brown 

 dusted with blue towards the base of the wings. 



B.B. 8 1 ii 



