478 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [Dec., ’08 
black spots more narrowly encircled with white and usually 
larger than in antiacis. The ground color underneath is us- 
ually much more uniform than in the latter, less plentifully 
sprinkled at the base of the wings with metallic scales, and not 
having the suffusion of white markings occurring both in 
antiacis and xerces. Like them however it is a spring butterfly, 
flying in March and April, and sometimes even in February. 
It seems to me that behrii is a distinct species and not a variety 
of antiacis, for it can be readily distinguished from the latter 
in the adult and larval state, and also by its habitat. I have 
not taken behrii in northern central California, but a form 
quite distinct but closely allied to it. It flies a good ways south 
of San Francisco, but I have not taken it in Monterey county, 
about a hundred miles south of the city where there is a “blue” 
very close to if not identical with the southern L. polyphemus, 
figured in Wright’s book as antiacis but quite different from the 
latter. ; 
Lycaena xerces is said by Boisduval to inhabit the Yuba 
Mountains (“Montagnes de la Juba”); this appears unlikely,. 
but cannot be discredited until that region is well explored 
entomologically in the proper season. It may fly locally in 
Marin Co., north of San Francisco. Both antiacis and xerces 
were formerly quite abundant in the Western Addition of the 
city ; and this is where most probably xerces now in collections 
come from. Here however it is nearly extinct, owing to the 
progress of civilization, but it is still present as a small col- 
ony in a limited area on the hills near the ocean, at the southern 
boundary of the city and county of San Francisco. It is found 
not on the sand dunes proper, but about sandy soil with rather 
low and scant vegetation, where its food-plant, Lotus glaber 
grows. Xerces always flies with antiacis. The latter is given 
a wide range, but as far as I can ascertain, it is not the same 
species of antiacis of other states or of other parts of this state. 
There remains much to be done in this group, as anyone can 
see who has a good series of these insects. 
Lycaena antiacis. 
Egg—Of the usual echinoid form, depressed at the top; micropyle 
in a pit. A raised white net-work, the meshes quadrilateral, and sur- 
