69 



similar colour ; some of the intermediate variegated males 

 were from Cambs. ; the Lancashire form was represented 

 by some brick-red males. A pair from Co. Kerry showed 

 a very rich-coloured male, with the whole of the central area 

 of the wing a rich orange and the thorax orange, but with 

 dark hind-wings. Various "aberrations" were also included. 



A large number of drawers, boxes, and series of Lycaenid 

 butterflies were exhibited by Messrs. Tonge, Harrison and 

 Main, Joy, Moore, Grosvenor, Turner, Pickett, Dr. Chapman, 

 Dr. Hodgson, and Rev. G. Wheeler to illustrate Mr. Tutt's 

 " Gossip about the Blue Butterflies." Mr. Tonge also 

 exhibited photographic life-histories of the Lycsenids, so far 

 as he had been able to complete them, including imagines, 

 ova, larvae, pupae, and details. 



Mr. J. W. Tutt gave an address entitled, " A Gossip about 

 the Blue Butterflies," of which the following is a summary : 



The comprehensive group Riiralides consists of the 

 " coppers, blues, and hairstreaks," of which the " blues," or 

 Lycsenids, form by far the largest section. Species of this 

 sub-family are found all over the world in large numbers, and 

 even in the palaearctic region no fewer than 122 species occur, 

 as recorded in Staudinger's list, published in igoi. 



In this work the " blues " are comprised in four very 

 unequal genera, viz., Lampides with 10 species, Chilades with 

 I {trochilus), LyccBiia with no species, and Cyaniris ( = 

 Celastrina) with i {argiolus). Of the 10 species in Lampides 

 only one {bceticiis) belongs there, the others being quite outside 

 the group. In Lyccena, comprising species as diverse in 

 appearance, habits, structure, etc., as argiades, astrarche, 

 and arion, no attempt is made at subdivision, although 

 characters in abundance are offered by all the stages. 



The subdivision of Meyrick (" Handbook ") need only be 

 referred to by saying that argiades, minimus, seviiargns (acis), 

 astrarche, pldceas, and dispar are placed in one genus, Chryso- 

 phanus (! !) ; and boeticns, argiolus, coridon, bellargus, cegon, 

 icarns, and arion in the genus LyccBua. This evidently 

 illogical and unnatural grouping is the result of classifying 

 on only one insignificant imaginal character — "hairy" or 

 " smooth " eyes. 



The British species are, as a rule, more or less isolated 

 and typical of well-developed groups in other parts of the 

 palaearctic and nearctic and even tropical regions. Celastrina, 

 for instance, has numerous representatives in the Indian 

 region, as also has the genus Everes. In some cases our 

 single British species is the centre of a few scattered species 



