152 BRITISH BUTTERFLIES. 



applied to it, is preferable, as its colour is ranch, less an 

 azure blue than that of Adonis. 



Localities : Common in the south, and found as far 

 north as Durham and the Lake District. Not known 

 in Scotland. 



THE BEDFOKD BLUE, OE LITTLE BLUE. 



(Polyommatus Alsus.) 



(Plate XIII. fig. 4, Male ; 4 a, Eemale.) 



THIS is the smallest of British butterflies, specimens 

 being sometimes seen even smaller than those figured. 



Colouring : Upper side, dark brown, distinctly 

 powdered with blue near the root of the wing in the 

 male, without blue in the female. Under side, pale grey- 

 drab, bluish near the base, marked with rows of black 

 spots in pale rings. No red spots. 



Caterpillar, green, orange stripe down back, and 

 streaks of same colour on each side. 



The butterfly is out in May and June, and is some- 

 times seen much later. It is generally met with on 

 limestone or chalky soils ; and, from a long list of 

 localities I have looked over, it seems to be distributed 

 over England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland. 



