392 BRITISH EEPIDOPTERA. 



antennae longer and thicker, but, on the whole, not so much so as in var. crassicomis." 

 He also says (Hor. Soc. Ent. Ross., vii., p. 101) that specimens were found in Attica, 

 on April 25th, and can only, on account of their deep blue colour, be referred here, 

 although the specimens are small (22-24 mm.). He also notes it as found by Erber, in 

 Corfu. In his Cat., p. 44, it is described as "var. major, al. ant. cseruleis, al. post, 

 aterrimis," and is recorded from the " southern Alpine valleys, Hungary, south-east 

 Balkans, Bithynia, Armenia." Baehrnetjew gives nr. Sofia, and Frey says that hey- 

 denreiclvii occurs at Siselen (teste Batzer), and south of Monte Bosa (teste Staudinger), 

 whilst Herrich-S chaffer gives Dalmatia, and Lederer mentions Mehadia, and 

 Carniola. Bambur says that Spanish specimens most resemble heydenreichii, sent 

 by Lederer to him as coming from Beyrout. Sand gives the hills of Crevant as a 

 locality, Gumppenburg mentions the Mangfall district, and Caradja notes Ciucorova. 

 5. ? var. crassicornis, Staud. — Of five specimens in Staudinger's collection, four 

 were obtained from Weissenborn (and were without exact locality), the fifth was 

 from Zeller, and labelled " Livorno, Orient." The specimens measure, with the 

 exception of the very short-winged female, 30-32 mm. in wing expanse, are excep- 

 tionally robust, and have exceedingly thick antennae. The colour of the fore- wings 

 is of a very deep gold-green, the hind-wings blackish, with light green folds on the 

 upperside, and distinct green shading on the underside. Both Zeller and Mann, in 

 commenting on specimens from Messina and Palermo, mention the thick antennas, 

 and these might belong here ; so also might small specimens from Florence, 

 and others from Dalmatia. More material is required to form a satisfactory con- 

 clusion (Stett. Ent. Zeit., xxiii., p. 359). In his Cat., p. 44, Staudinger describes 

 it as " var. crassior, anten. mult, crassioribus, al. ant. caerul.-viridibus. Sp. 

 Darwin. ? From southern Turkey and south-east Hungary." Kirby treats (Cat. 

 Lei). Het., p. 84) this as a distinct species, referring to Milliere, Ann. Soc. Ent. 

 France (6), v., p. 119, where it is recorded as occurring at St. Martin Lantosque, at 

 1,200 m. 



e. var. minor, Evers. — Alas anticas viridi-aureae basi thoraceque caaruleis. In 

 campi's Orenburgensibus (Fauna Lep. Volg.-TJral.,^. 91). 



f. var. uralensis, Grum-Grschimailo, "Hor. Ent. Boss.," xxvii., p. 385. — 

 Antennis capite corpore et alis anticis caeruleis. In montibus — ad Mi j ass anno 1888 

 collecta. 



Eggs. — The eggs are laid in little masses of 20 or 30, regularly 

 placed and close together, side by side, sometimes, however, in rows of 

 four or five, arranged somewhat irregularly. They are oval in outline, 

 much depressed on the upper surface, bright yellow in colour, and very 

 delicate in appearance ; roughly furrowed or wrinkled longitudinally, 

 and covered over with a minute network of polygonal (? hexagonal) re- 

 ticulations. Horton says they are oval, rather flattened, and slightly 

 but irregularly ribbed longitudinally. Hellins states that each egg 

 is placed on its flat side, and is in form oblong and flattened, being 

 about "85 mm. long, # 5 mm. wide, and -25 mm. deep, with the ends 

 rather rounded, and the upper side somewhat sunken. The shell is 

 wrinkled longitudinally, and rather shining ; the colour, at first, is light 

 yellow ; this becomes paler, and at last the head of the larva shows at 

 one end as a dusky spot. The larva frees itself by eating out one end, 

 but leaves the empty shell otherwise untouched. Eggs laid on June 

 9th, 1864, hatched on July 4th (Horton). 



Habits of larva. — The habits of the larva of this species were 

 first studied by Horton, who discovered, in 1864, that the young larvae 

 mined in both the upper and under sides of sorrel leaves, some buried 

 far between the upper, and under epidermis of the leaf, others with 

 their tails out, and always trailing after them a thread of black 

 excrement. In 1865, Doubleday filled the brick pit of a hot-bed with soil, 

 planted it with Rumex acetosa. and covered the soil between the plants 

 with moss. He placed eggs (laid by captured females) on the sorrel plants, 

 and soon had the satisfaction of seeing the young larvae " mining " the 

 leaves of the sorrel. With winter, the leaves died off, the larvae hid them- 



