Ill 



might settle, and allow of closer inspection. For this I had not 

 I'gng to wait, for on approaching some ivy growing on a wall that 

 supports the bank it soon selected a head of flower-buds, and settled 

 upon it, and allowed me to approach sufficiently closely to examine 

 it without any attempt at resuming flight. I soon perceived that it 

 was a female Cyaniris argiolus in the act of depositing ova ; and so 

 intent was she upon her work that I was able to box her, ivy-buds 

 and all, without difficulty. On reaching home I sleeved her on a 

 good bunch of the same plant, with a little moistened sugar to feed 

 upon, but she survived only four days, during which time she de- 

 posited four ova. 



The 19th was one of those brilliant mornings that seldom occur 

 except on the approach of bad weather ; not a breath of air stirred, 

 and the sun shone with a scorching heat, surely a morning to induce 

 any butterfly to bestir itself in its life-business. I therefore set out 

 in the hope of being able to verify my former observations. The 

 ivy patch where the argiolus was taken on the 17th was deserted ; but 

 taking a little-frequented road somewhat higher up the cliff", I soon 

 found several plants of ivy in full bud, growing on a low wall, and 

 on one of them two argiolus were busily engaged in ovipositing. 

 One flew away on my approach ; but fortunately the other paid no 

 heed to my presence, and allowed me to watch the whole of the in- 

 teresting operation repeated several times ; until having apparently 

 completed her task she followed the example of her companion, 

 flitted away over a garden, and was soon lost to sight. An examina- 

 tion of the ivy buds revealed some few recently deposited ova, and a 

 larger number of empty egg-shells. A portion of the former I took 

 home and placed with those I already had, and I was thus able to 

 observe two separate colonies, the one under absolutely natural 

 conditions, the other in confinement. 



I need hardly say that my visits to the wild colony were frequent 

 and often protracted ; for watching the growth of the larvae, and com- 

 paring their behaviour with that of those I had in confinement, was 

 exceedingly interesting, and on leaving Eastbourne I had no diffi- 

 culty in collecting a couple of dozen of them, bringing home with 

 me just thirty larvae, including those I had reared in captivity ; and 

 I was thus able to complete my observations of the species from 

 the laying of the egg to the assumption of the pupal stage, of which 

 the following is a short history. The ova and larva have already 

 tobeen described in considerable detail {vide Buckler's " Larvse of the 

 British Butterflies and Moths," vol. ij pp. 94 — 100). I therefore 

 propose to confine my remarks on the species chiefly to its habits. 



At the time when the butterflies of the second brood are on the 

 wing the flower-buds of the ivy are still small, and generally form 

 compact green heads, in shape closely resembling an unripe black- 

 berry. The butterfly, having selected one of these heads, settles 

 upon its top, closes her wings over her back, and bending her abdo- 

 men down and round underneath the buds affixes an egg to the 



