THE BROWN ARGUS. l6l 



The Brown Argus (Ly carta astrarche). 



Fore wings blackish or sooty-brown with a black discal spot, 

 and a row of reddish-orange spots on the outer margin of all 

 the wings ; the fringes are white, sometimes with blackish 

 interruptions. The under side is greyish or greyish-brown, and 

 the black spots are distinctly ringed with white. On the 

 fore wing there are seven of these spots, one at the end of the 

 cell, and the others in an irregular series beyond ; the last in 

 this series is sometimes double, or it may be absent. On the 

 hind wings the spots comprise a series of four preceding the 

 white discal mark, and a series of seven beyond ; the second 

 spot in this series is placed directly under the first, forming a 

 colon-like mark, and this character will help to distinguish the 

 Brown Argus from the blackish or brown females of the next 

 species. 



The female has larger orange markings, and the outline of 

 the fore wings is rather rounder on the outer margin, otherwise 

 the sexes are very similar. 



The orange spots referred to in the male are sometimes 

 absent towards the tips of the fore wings, and in this respect 

 lead up to the form known as the Durham Argus (var. 

 salmacis, Stephens), which is blackish above and ochreous- 

 brown below ; the black spots on the under side are much 

 smaller then in typical specimens, and some may be absent 

 altogether. The male has a black discal spot, and the female 

 a white one, on the upper side of the fore wings ; the hind wings 

 have a red or orange band on both surfaces. Sometimes the 

 male also has a white spot on the fore wings. Specimens with 

 the orange spots on upper side almost entirely absent are 

 referable to var. allous. 



Artaxerxes is the form occurring in Scotland, and is known 

 as the " Scotch White Spot." Both sexes have a conspicuous 



