COPPERS. 



hooics at the cauaal extremities, and also by a 

 belt round the waist Newman. 



Obs. My acquaintance with the caterpillar 

 and chrysalis was made very many years ago, 

 in Mr. Doubleday's garden at Epping, where 

 the very plant of Rumex hydrolapathum on 

 which the caterpillars fed is still in existence. 



TIME OF APPEARANCE. Caterpillars, begin- 

 ning of June, 1841 ; 24th July, 1827 ; chry- 

 salids, 25th July, 1 827 ; butterflies, 25th June, 

 1826; 3rd and 5th July, 1833; 19th July, 

 1827; August, 1819; August 4th, 1821 J. 

 C. Dale. 



LOCALITIES. This beautiful butterfly has 

 never been known as an inhabitant of Ireland, 

 the Isle of Man, or Scotland. In England it 

 formerly occurred in abundance in two locali- 

 ties mentioned below, but it is now believed 

 to be extinct. 



(Cambridgeshire. In plenty at Whittlesea 

 Mere J. F. Stephens ; not taken in Cam- 

 bridgeshire since 1845 Thomas Brown.} 



(Huntingdonshire. Yaxley and Holm Fens. 

 The latest capture, consisting of five specimens, 

 was made by Stretton, in either 1847 or 1848 : 

 they were all purchased by Me. Harrington. 

 I was at Yaxley for several successive years 

 after this, but never saw another specimen, or 

 heard of another being taken F. Bond.} 



38. Common Copper (Polyommatus Phlceas). 



38. COMMON COPPER. The costal margin of 

 the fore wings is nearly straight, the tip 

 almost pointed, and the hind margin simple ; 

 the hind wings are notched near the anal 

 angle, and on each side of the notch is a small 

 angular projection. The colour of the fore 

 wings is coppery red, with a dark brown hind 

 margin and nine black spots on the disk ; 

 seven of these form a zigzag series parallel 

 with the hind margin ; and two are situated 

 between this series and the base of the wing : 

 the hind wings are black-brown, with an in- 



dented hind-marginal copper-coloured band. 

 The under side of the fore wings is fulvous, 

 with nine black spots on the di.sk,andafulvous- 

 g-ay hind margin : the hind wings are fulvous- 

 gray, with ten black dots on the disk, and a 

 series of five reddish crescents parallel with 

 the hind margin. 



Varieties. There is a variety of this 

 species in which the parts which are usually 

 copper- coloured are of a pure and brilliant 

 white. This is of frequent occurrence on the 

 continent of Europe, but appears to be of un- 

 common occurrence in this country. At page 

 93 of the fourth volume of the " Entomo- 

 logist," Mr. Clark, of Doncaster, writes : " On 

 May 19th a friend of mine took a most curious 

 variety of Phlceas, the part which is usually 

 of a bright copper colour being of a splendid 

 silvery white." Several other English speci- 

 mens have been recorded, and kindly offered 

 me to figure, and I have declined them simply 

 from the difficulty of exhibiting the differences 

 in a woodcut. There is also a great discre- 

 pancy in the colour of the costal margin of 

 the fore wings ; in many specimens, generally 

 supposed to be females, this is dull dark 

 brown ; while in others the copper colour 

 comes up to the costa : again the black spots 

 forming the transverse series are various in 

 size, in some specimens being much larger 

 than in others, and being more or less con- 

 nected, three near the costa and two pairs 

 between the costa and the inner margin : and 

 again, the wing-rays are brown in some speci- 

 mens, but concolorous with the disk in 

 others ; lastly, many specimens have a series 

 of four blue spots just above the copper- 

 coloured band on the hind wings : these cha- 

 racters that is, the larger black spots, the 

 darker costal margin, and the blue spots I 

 formerly described as characteristic of the 

 female, and I still think this is generally, but 

 not exclusively, the case. Mr. Dale mentions 

 a specimen without the copper-coloured band 

 on the hind wings, but only having a few 

 copper-coloured spots in its place. At page 

 211 of the third volume of the "Entomologist," 

 Mr. C. S. Gregson describes the varieties of 

 Phlceas in his own cabinet as under : " This 



