74 



Linnaeus, must be applied to his ' Fauna Suecica' alone; for in the 13th 

 edition of his { Sy sterna Naturae/ I find he makes the species Idas of the 

 fauna, the proper female of his Argus, thereby laudably and liberally correct- 

 ing in maturer years, this error of his youth." 



Possibly Donovan was led into error by Moses Harris, who figures Icarus 

 in his "Aurelian," and in the letterpress writes, " See Linn. Papil. Pleb. 

 232, Argus. Perhaps this is designed for it." 



The species varies in the expansion of its wings from an inch to an inch 

 and two lines. The upper surface of the wings of both sexes are brown, 

 with a row of bright orange spots at the hind-margin of all the wings, and 

 with narrow white fringes, and also with a black central spot. The under- 

 side is of a greyish-brown, with black spots in the white rings, none of which 

 are nearer the base of the fore- wing than the central spets, and with a row of 

 orange spots at the hind-margins. This is the; form found in the South of 

 England, and better known as Agestis, W.Y. It is also the form most fre- 

 quently found on the Continent of Europe. 



Var. Allous, Hub. differs from the type by the absence of the row of 

 orange spots. I have a specimen of this form,, taken in Castle Eden Dene, 

 in company with Salmacis, by my father in August, 1837. In the South of 

 Europe, all the second brood are of this form. 



Yar. Artaxerxes, Fab., Scotch Argus. This differs from the type by the 

 discoid al spot on the fore wings being white ii stead of black, by the row of 

 orange spots being partly, or in some specimen totally, absent on the upper- 

 side; and with the eye-like spots on the underside being entirely filled up 

 with white. This form is unknown on the Continent, and Fabricius received 

 it from Mr. Jones, of Chelsea. These speciu ens probably came from Dr. 

 Walker, who met with them at Rossyln Castle, in August, 1797. 



Yar. Salmacis, Steph. Durham Argus, is ; n intermediate form, has the 

 orange spots less vivid than the type, a black discoidal spot, but the white 

 spots on the underside without black centres. 



Yar. ^Estiva, Hub., is a brown variety of the underside. 



Yarieties also occur in which the spots on the underside differ. One has 

 the central spot only, another is without it, and sometimes the spots are 

 elongated into streaks, a form of variety noticed in several species of the 

 genus. 



The sexes of this species closely resemble each other, but in the female the 

 marginal band of orange spots is slightly broader. 



The egg is of a pale greenish drab colour, covered with a coarse prominent 

 reticulation ; it is smaller than that of JEgon, t.iough very like it in form and 

 sculpture, being circular, and flat, with a central depression on the upper 

 surface. Buckler, 



