394 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



NOTES AND OBSEEVATIONS. 



CoLiAS EDUSA AND C. HYALE IN ENGLAND. — Several records of the 

 occurrence of these species during the season have been received, but as 

 others will probably be sent in later it seems advisable to defer publication 

 until November, when the details will be presented in a convenient form. 



Chrysophanus (Polyommatus) phlceas. — This species appears to have 

 been rather commoner this year than usual in several Metropolitan locali- 

 ties. I observed it in scores during August between Northwood and 

 Rickmansworth, and also towards Harefleld. In other years I have never 

 noticed more than about half-a-dozen specimens in either of these places. 

 Mr. Jenner Weir informs me that at I3eckenham, in Kent, he has seen 

 more specimens of C. phlceas in his garden this autumn than during the 

 ten preceding years that he has lived there. The species seems also to have 

 been inclined to wander away from its breeding-ground. Mr. R. W. 

 Thompson tells me that he took a specimen early in September in his 

 garden near here ; and in a communication received from Mr. Alfred Sich, 

 that gentleman mentions seeing a specimen fluttering against a shop- window 

 in St. James Street, near the Piccadilly end. — Richard South. 



Variation of Chrysophanus (Polyommatus) phlceas. — During the 

 past few weeks G. phlceas has been remarkably abundant in this neighbour- 

 hood, and from what I learn it has been unusually numerous in various 

 districts this autumn. On the 5th and 6th of September they were flying 

 in profusion over a small extent of ground, which gave me a good oppor- 

 tunity of examining some hundreds for the purpose of selecting any well- 

 marked or abnormal forms, with the result that I obtained a small but very 

 variable series. The specimens range in expanse from ^ in. to If in., thus 

 differing in size rather more than half an inch. The copper colouring of 

 all the specimens is very brilliant, varying from bright golden -copper to 

 deeper fiery-copper ; and two approach the var schmidtii, one having the 

 left primary pale silvery-gold shading into copper at the base, the other has 

 the right primary silvery-white. The size of the spots in different speci- 

 mens vary from small dots to bold blotches. Two examples are exception- 

 ally fine aberrations, having the copper bands of the secondaries replaced 

 by a black band formed by the enlargement of the submarginal velvety- 

 black spots, and the ground colour of these wings is lustrous steel-grey ; in 

 one a few of the nervures show coppery scales, the other has only the 

 merest trace of copper on one or two nervures ; both are females. In the 

 other specimens the coppery band varies in width ; in one the copper is 

 extended along the nervures, and the rest of the wing is sprinkled with 

 copper scales. The blue spots which sometimes occur on the secondaries 

 are in one of the specimens under consideration conspicuously shown, and 

 are five in number on each wing ; these spots are also present, but less 

 apparent, in two other examples. The above notes are, to a great extent, 

 adverse to Mr. Merrifield's views on the effects of temperature on the 

 colouring of C. phlceas (Trans. Ent. Soc. 1893, Pt. 1, p. 62). I quite ex- 

 pected to find the majority of specimens with the copper colouring dull and 

 the black markings pale, corresponding with Mr. Merrifield's high tem- 

 perature forms ; but I found it exactly the reverse, as all those I examined 

 were of brilliant colouring, the copper being rich and bright and the black 

 deep ; in most cases they closely resembled his low temperature forms. 



