IN SEARCH OF RUSSIAN BUTTERFLIES. 273 



Everes alcetas. — A large form of this species, expanding about 

 33 mm., was not uncommon on the outskirts of the " Tschapurnik 

 Wald," and also on the railway banks, from May 20th. 



Scolitantides baton. — Common at lalta, less so at Novorossisk, 

 and widely distributed at Sarepta; in all cases the examples are the 

 type form, without any approach to var. panoptes. 



S. pylaon. — This Eastern species was fairly common on the banks 

 and in the cuttings of the railway, but at first I experienced con- 

 siderable difficulty in distinguishing it, especially on the wing, from 

 the much more abundant Plebeius argyrognomon, with which it fiew^ 

 It had probably been out a week or ten days before we arrived at 

 Sarepta ; after the first two days it got rare, and the examples 

 seen were all more or less defective, although odd ones were picked 

 up whenever we collected in its locahties until May 27th. In 

 the series I obtained there is not any noticeable variation in the 

 females, but there is a good deal in the males. S. pylaon was first 

 described by Fischer de Waldheim (the female only). Herrich-Schaffer, 

 who next dealt with it in ' Schmetterlinge von Europa,' figures both 

 sexes ; of the male, fig. 333 illustrates a form without black spots on 

 the hind margins of the inferiors, upper side, but with two red 

 lunules at the anal angle of each ; this form, therefore, which was not 

 uncommon at Sarepta, it would appear, in accordance with the law 

 of priority, is the type. The other forms obtained include one 

 figured by Herrich-Schaffer (fig. 339), which shows a row of black 

 spots on the upper side of the inferiors on the outer margin ; this 

 form I propose to call ab. nigro-pnncta, n. ah. The other form I 

 obtained is entirely without black spots or red lunules on the upper 

 side of the inferiors, for this I propose the name of ab. immaai- 

 lata, n. ab. 



Plebeius argyrognomon. — Abundant at Sarepta and in good 

 condition at the date of our arrival. An interesting form ; the males 

 of a deeper blue than the Western specimens which I possess ; both 

 sexes have the orange bands on the under side very prominent, in 

 this respect resembling the Hungarian form ; the species continued 

 in good condition for several days. 



P. argus {agon). — The most abundant Lycsenid seen at Sarepta — 

 swarming everywhere. The first examples which were flying at the 

 date of our arrival were small and dull-coloured, but those that 

 emerged in June were much larger, with whiter under sides. 



Polyommatus astrarche. — Only seen at Novorossisk where I 

 captured a few very typical specimens of the southern low level race. 



P. icarus. — Common everywhere we collected, especially at 

 Sarepta. A large form; the females entirely without blue on the 

 upper side. I kept a very careful look-out for P. ther sites, without 

 success, and I am convinced that this recently recognised species does 

 not occur in any locality in which we collected, although its food- 

 plant, sainfoin, grows freely at Sarepta. 



P. eroides. — One example, a very fresh male of this beautiful 

 species, or form of P. eros, was taken by me on June 12th at the top 

 of a cross valley in the hills which are opposite to Sarepta. It was 

 a very windy day, and I feel sure that the butterfly had been blown 



ENTOM. — OCTOBER, 1914. Z 



