128 



BRITISH BUTTERFLIES. 



prominences, broadly bordered above by a stri pe 

 of rose-pink, and beneath by a broader stripe 

 of still darker pink ; the spiracles are flesh- 

 colour, situated in the upper pink stripe, very 

 minute and inconspicuoua The claspers are 

 green, and the legs pinkish, spotted with brown. 

 These caterpillars were fed on the common 

 sun-cistus (Uelianthemum vulgare), and two of 

 them changed to the chrysalis state on the 2 1 st 

 of May, and a third a week later, all in nearly 

 perpendicular positions, amongst and slightly 

 attached to the stems of the food-plant by a 

 few silk threads near the ground. The CHRY- 

 SALIS is about four lines in length, smooth, 

 and without polish, rather thick in propor- 

 tion ; the head rounded and prominent ; the 

 thorax rounded above, the body plump, and 

 curved a little backwards; its extremity being 

 hidden in the shrivelled skin of the caterpillar, 

 which adheres to it : the colour of the head 

 and wing-cases is blue-green, with a black 

 curved streak obliquely placed on each side of 

 the head ; the body is yellowish flesh-colour, 

 with a deep pink stripe at the sides enclosing 

 a central white one, which can also be seen 

 showing through part of the wing covers." 

 Buckler. 



TIME OP APPEARANCE. In 1858, on the 

 19bh of June ; in 1859, on the 27th of June ; 

 in 1860, on the 30th of June ; in 1864, on the 

 13th of June; in 1865, on the 1st of July ; in 

 1867, on the 27th of June. F. Buchanan 

 White. 



LOCALITIES. Unknown in Ireland, 

 Eugland, or the Isle of Man : in Scotland it is 

 generally distributed. Dr. Buchanan White 

 says it occurs everywhere in Perthshire where 

 the sun-cistus grows. Even in Rannoch, 

 where the plant is scarce, he saw specimens 

 of the butterfly. It has been recorded from 

 as far north as Aberdeen shire. Dr. Syme 

 says it is local but abundant on Orrock Hill, 

 Hnd has occurred in other places near Balmuto. 

 I have seen it in some abundance on Arthur's 

 Seat, near Edinburgh, which is the original 

 locality. Mr. Birchall finds it in Ayrshire. 



42. COMMON BLUE. The upper side of all 

 the wings is delicate lilac blue in the males ; 



dingy brown, more or less glossed with lilac 

 blue reflections, in the females, and having a 



42. Common Blue (Lyc^rta Icarus). 

 under sides. 



Upper and 



more or less indistinct series of orange spots 

 parallel with the hind margin ; in this sex 

 there is also a transversely linear, but indis- 

 tinct, black discoidal spot on the fore wings ; 

 the fringe is white. The under side of all 

 the wings is ashy-gray in the males, fulvous- 

 brown in the females : in both sexes there is 

 a hind-marginal series of compound spots, 

 which are rather indistinct in the males, but 

 very distinct in the females ; the marginal 

 portion of each spot is white, and contains a 

 transverse black mark ; then follows an orange 

 blotch, then a black crescent, and then a 

 white crescent : the disk of each fore wing 



Two varieties of tho under side in the cabinet of 

 Mr. Bond. 



has nine, and that of each hind wing thirteen, 

 black spots, each spot having a white circuin- 



