104 LLOYDS NATURAL HISTORY. 



Papilio ads, Fabricius, Mantissa Ins. ii. p. 73, no. 687 (1787); 



Hiibner, Eur. Schmett. i. figs. 272-271 (1803). 

 Polyommatus argiolus, Godart, Enc. Meth. ix. p. 678, no. 190 



(1823); Stephens, 111. Brit. Ent. Haust. i. p. 85 (1827); 



Kirby, Eur. Butterflies and Moths, p. 46, pi. 14, figs. 40, b 



(1879); Barrett, Lepid. of Brit. Isl. i. p. 88, pi. 13, figs. 



2, za-e (1892); Buckler, Larvae of Brit. Lepid. i. pp. 94, 



188, pi. 14, fig. i (1886). 

 Lycana argiolus, Newman, Brit. Butterflies, p. 135 (1881); 



Lang, Butterflies Eur. p. 127, pi. 31, fig. i (1882). 

 The Azure Blue Butterfly is common in many parts of 

 England and Ireland, frequenting woods and thickets, where 

 its food-plants grow, in early spring / and again in summer and 

 autumn. It is also common throughout Europe, North 

 Africa, and Northern and Western Asia, as far as the frontiers 

 of India ; and closely-allied species are found in North 

 America. It varies considerably in size, expanding from 

 rather less than an inch to nearly an inch and a half across the 

 wings. It is the earliest to appear of all the Blues, sometimes 

 being seen in April ; and it is still met with in various localities 

 quite close to London. 



The fore-wings are of a light blue, somewhat inclining to lilac 

 above, with white fringes, slightly interrupted by the black ner 

 vures, and a black border, narrow in the male, but broad in the 

 female on the fore-wings ; on the hind-wings it is narrow. The 

 under side is of a pale blue, with black discoidal lunules, and 

 an outer row of black spots, not ocellated ; towards the base of 

 the hind-wings are several more spots. There are no distinct 

 sub-marginal spots. 



The larva, which feeds on the flowers of holly, buck-thorn, 

 and ivy, is pubescent, of a greenish-yellow colour, deepest on 

 the back ; the head and legs are black ; the pupa is yellowish- 

 brown. 



