CHALK-HILL AND HOLLY BLUES 



the other remaining member of this genus, the Adonis 

 Blue. July and August see it upon the wing, and the 

 whitish-green egg is laid during the latter month. It 

 remains unhatched until the succeeding Spring, when the 

 yellowish-green larva may then be sought for among the 

 dwarf plants that affect open and chalky situations. The 

 male imago is bluish-grey, with an inner edging of black, 

 and black, white-circled, spots. There are also white 

 margins to both pairs of wings. The female is sooty- 

 brown, and the markings are somewhat similar to those 

 of her mate, except for some orange colour in their 

 composition. The under sides of both sexes are pro- 

 minently spotted with black, and the orange markings of 

 the female show through. 



Holly E)lu,e^ 



Holly Blue. — {Cyaniris argiolus.) Holly is the favourite 



Spring plant of this species (Fig. lo), and where that 



prickly shrub is found, there one may expect to find it. 



Other plants — such as dogwood — are resorted to, but 



holly flowers are preferred in Spring, and ivy in Autumn. 



It is more frequently met with in the Southern Counties, 



and becomes rarer further North. In an early season the 



first Holly Blue is on the wing during the gusty days 



of March, but it is necessary that the flower buds of the 



holly shall be well advanced, as upon these and the 



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