NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS. 59 



rate var. of Argynnis selene with confluent spots was specially 

 mentioned, a specimen of, to my mind, a far rarer variety, showing a 

 silver blotch on the upper surface of the wing, was not mentioned. 

 Some one, however, spotted it, as the lot fetched 50/-, and even at that 

 price Mr. Janson's customer may be congratulated on having secured 

 a bargain. To take the collection in order : — Lot 4, a specimen of Pieris 

 daplidice, taken at Dover in 1851, by Mr. Foxcroft, dusky with age, was 

 acquired by the writer for 11/- ; two other good ones, with no history, 

 8/- and 6/- each. Lots 7 and 8, which were combined, contained what 

 was described as a '* magnificent" male Colias edusa, showing a rose- 

 magenta shot colour ; this, to my mind, was nothing more than the 

 rose-shot colouring which is not at all uncommon in this species. 

 Apparently others thought so too, as the 2 lots together, containing 52 

 specimens, only fetched 10/-. Lot 10 was a great bargain : a speci- 

 men of Argynnis adippe from Devonshire, 1874, in which the outer 

 half of the primaries was suffused, making a rather striking variety, 

 realising only 20/-. Possibly Mr. Janson's determined bidding may have 

 induced others to leave off the contest too early ; it was, to my mind, 

 quite as good a variety as one sold a few sales back for something like £6. 

 Mr. Tugwell's specimen of Anosia plexippus, captured by Mr. Saundry, 

 Cornwall, 1886, sold for 35/-. Four A. latonia, Kent, all fine, but 

 with no other history, fetched 12/-, 8/-, 8/-, and 6/- each. Lot 16, 

 containing a fairly good variety of Argynnis eiiphrosyne and a slightly 

 dusky female A. selene, with a rather pretty lot of Melitaa artemis, 

 fetched 16/-. Lot 17, about similar, 12/-. Lots 19, 20, and 21 each 

 contained a dull lilac or purple-brown variety of Vanessa urticcB, and 

 realised 21/-, 14/-, and 10/-. In lots 22, 23, and 24 were, 

 amongst other things, specimens of Apatura iris, described as New 

 Forest white-banded, Chattenden yellow-banded, a distinction I 

 believe pretty constant in those localities ; they were quite ordinary 

 forms, and fetched 16/-, 18/-, and 12/-. The collection contained two 

 specimens of Vanessa antiopa, both taken by Mr. Sang, Darlington, 1873. 

 One nice specimen made 18/-, and one with yellow borders 16/-. Lots 

 27, 28, and 29 were sold together for 10/-. The pale variety of Arge 

 galatea, as per catalogue, was only a faded female, but the lot was 

 cheap, containing as it did some nice forms of Erehia blandina, well 

 spotted. There were 8 specimens of Polyommatus dispar ; the first 8 

 males were small and in moderate condition, but were cheap never- 

 theless at 45/-, 55/-, and 63/-; a richly coloured male made £5, and 

 a large male from Mr. Howard Vaughan's collection 7 guineas, which 

 is, I believe, a record price; the latter two were bought by Mr. Janson. 

 A fine female made 70/-, but the magnificent variety of the female 

 from Mr. H. Vaughan's collection had been evidently " faked " at some 

 period of its existence ; it looked as if it had been carelessly mended 

 and blotched with shellac or some such substance, which had been 

 subsequently removed, leaving scaleless stains. It was a pity such a 

 fine large specimen of this rarity should be so spoilt ; it was bought 

 for 45/-. The eighth example, a fine female, was also bought by a 

 prominent dealer for £6, and was fully worth it too. The first pair of 

 LyccBua acis, from Mr. J. G. Koss, fetched no less than 35/- ; the 

 second pair, including a large female from Mr. Evan John, Llan- 



r2 



