514 BRITISH LEPIDOPTERA. 



Hill (Cockerell), one emerged August 23rd, 1888, from pupa obtained 

 August 6th, 1888, at Mudstone Bay, Brixham (James), not uncom- 

 mon, three in 1878, and several since, caught and bred, at Hartlepool 

 (Robson), yellow examples, bred July 2nd and 3rd, 1881, at Hartle- 

 pool (Dixon), Lyme Regis in 1890, breeds regularly every year 

 (Battley, Ent. Rec, v., p. 280), several at Compton Bay, Isle of 

 Wight (Hodges), four, July, 1891, on the undercliff, Brooke, Isle of 

 Wight (Abbott), several in 1886, taken in Kent (Sabine, Proc. Sth. 

 Lond. Ent. Soc, 1886, p. 61), six bred from July 25th-August 7th, 

 from cocoons obtained at Wrotham, July 20th, 1898 (Smart). It 

 does not appear to be recorded abroad, Oberthiir has 15 examples, all 

 British. 



6. ab. chrysanthemi, Bork., "Sys. Besch.," ii., p. 166, pi. i., fig. 1 (1789); 

 " Rhein. Mag.," i., p. 647 (1793) ; Esp., " Die Schmett.," ii., pi. xxxvii., fig. 1 

 (1789), supp. p. 1 (? 1806) ; Hb., "Eur. Schmett.," ii., pi. iii., fig. 17 (1803) ; Ochs., 

 "Die Schmett.," ii., pp. 56-58 (1808); Bdv., " Mon. des Zyg.," p. 59 (1829); 

 H.-Sch., "Sys. Bearb.," ii., p. 42 (1845); Hein., "Schmett. Deutsch.," p. 

 163 (1859); Staud., "Cat.," p. 47(1871); Hofmn., "Die Gross-Schmett.," p. 

 35 (1887) ; South, ," Entom.," xxiv., p. 234 (1891) ; Kirby, " Cat. Lep. Het.," p. 70 

 (1892) ; Oberth., "Etudes," etc., livr. xxth, p. 43, pi. viii., fig. 134, transitus 

 (1896). — S. chrysanthemi, der Wucherblumenschwarmer, der Schwarzfieck. Nigro- 

 cyanea ; alse anticee nigro-cyanese : maculis sex nigris ; alse posticse nigro-fuscgs : 

 limbo tenuissimo cyaneo. Of the size and shape of S. filipendulae. Its body 

 is glossy steel-blue. The ground colour of the fore-wings varies between steel- 

 blue and green, with six blackish spots arranged in pairs. The hind- wings 

 are black-brown, and have a narrow steel-blue margin (Borkhausen). 



Borkhausen obtained the aberration from Schneider, who took it 

 in the neighbourhood of Stralsund several years in succession, but 

 always with the common A. filivienchdae. He named it chrysanthemi, 

 because the spotted Burnets are fond of settling on the flowers of the 

 class of plants to which the Chrysanthemum belongs. Esper's figure 

 was also made from one of Schneider's insects. Esper quotes Bork- 

 hausen in his text, and there is no doubt that the latter's name is 

 prior to Esper's figure. Staudinger diagnoses the form as : " Ab. 

 maculis obfuscatis." Herrich-Schaffer describes it as having "the 

 spots reddish coffee-brown." Oberthiir has three transitional forms 

 leading to ab. chrysanthemi, from Paris, etc., which, have the spots 

 and hind-wings pale brown, one of them being figured Etudes, xxth livr., 

 fig. 134. Heinemann notes it from near Stettin. The following appear 

 to be the only British records of this rare aberration : (1) The speci- 

 men has not a particle of red colour about it ; the six spots on the 

 fore-wings dark brown, almost approaching black, the hind-wings of a 

 decided brown colour ; the ground colour of the fore-wings and 

 marginal border of the hind-wings much as usual. The specimen was 

 bred by Mr. Leslie (St. Leonard's-on-Sea), in 1864, from a larva taken 

 with others, from which typical specimens emerged (Cooper, E.M.M., i., 

 p. 143). (2) The fore-wings are of the usual dark green colour, the 

 spots being black ; the hind-wings are black, with a dark green 

 margin. The insect measures 1 " 2'", and the spots are rather small. 

 Captured July 3rd, 1881, in Wyre Forest (Nowers, Entomologist, xv., 

 p. 39). (3) The ground colour of anterior wings of the usual shiny 

 greenish-black, as is also the border of the posterior wings ; the spots 

 and ground colour of posterior wings of a dull black hue, thus showing 

 up very distinctly. Reared from pupae gathered at Fleetwood, in 

 1888. Two of these black aberrations emerged one morning in July 



