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different degrees of beauty also. Here is a specimen with each of its 

 six red spots surrounded by a broad ring of a marvellously delicate 

 shade of yellow or rich cream colour. " Alis anticis maculis latius 

 flavo-cinctis ; abdomine annulo rubro," is Staudinger's. description 

 of this form, Scopoli's type of the species and the Z. onobrychis of 

 many other authors. No need to ask why Oftobrychts was chosen, 

 for the plant of this name with its pretty compound leaves is in 

 abundance among the gentians and knapweeds here. This type has 

 a wide distribution — '* Central and South-Eastern Europe, Italy, Asia 

 Minor, Armenia, Hyrcania and Altai," is Staudinger's rather com- 

 prehensive range. We saw it in all the Savoy and Piedmont valleys 

 we visited. Low down at Bourg St. Maurice and near Aosta ; high 

 on the pass of the Little St. Bernard ; some 7000 feet above the 

 sea on Mont de la Saxe, and at nearly the same elevation near 

 Chevanis, show that its range in altitude is almost as great as its 

 range in longtitude. 



Side by side with the fine cream-ringed type was Herrich-Schaffer's 

 ab. dmiensis. This is a true aberration occurring apparently every- 

 where with the type, and not forming a local race or variety apart 

 from it. The yellow rings are much narrower, and as Staudinger 

 says, "Maculis rubris permagnis, anguste flavo-cinctis." 



But more abundant than either the type or ab. diniensis is 

 Hiibner's ab. hedysari, in which the abdomen is without the red 

 ring and is totally black. This black-bodied form varies much in 

 its spotting, sometimes having the red spots well ringed with yellow, 

 at others with a much less quantity. Staudinger says, " Maculis 

 rubris parvis, flavo-cingulatis ; abdomine toto nigro." I do not 

 know why Staudinger connects the form with a black abdomen with 

 the possession of small red spots. I have not been inclined to link 

 them thus in my examination of them. 



Considering this as a parallel form (but with black abdomen) to 

 the type, there is a form^ var. intermedia, which has very narrow 

 cream-coloured rings, and may be looked upon as holding a similar 

 parallel relationship with ab. diniensis. 



Another very fine form also occurred, called by Staudinger 

 berolinensis. It occurred with us as a rare aberration, being occa- 

 sionally met with in all localities where we found the more yellow- 

 coloured forms. Staudinger considers it as a local race, as well as 

 an aberration ; but we did not find this form of the species localised 

 anywhere in our collecting grounds, unless it was at Chevanis, but 

 we captured too few there to form an opinion. The diagnosis of 

 Staudinger is short but very apt : " Maculis rubris non flavo-cinctis ; 

 abdomine toto nigro." He localises it as a variety or specialised 

 race in "Northern and Eastern Germany"; as an aberration in 

 most other districts with the type. 



Among the minor points of variation we noticed in our captures 

 was a tendency to vary much in the quantity of grey scales on 

 the thorax ; a tendency for the central pair of spots to coalesce; 



