l68 THE BUTTERFLIES OF THE BRITISH ISLES. 



the wings, var. syngrapha (Fig. 8, Plate 117), is of the male 

 colour. The former is from Eastbourne and the latter from 

 Wiltshire. They are rather uncommon varieties, but inter- 

 mediate forms are more often met with in the same localties as 

 well as in other parts of England where the species occurs. 



On the coast of Dorsetshire a very unusual form occurs. 

 The border of the outer margin is white instead of the usual 

 black or blackish ; the inner limit of this border is, on the fore 

 wings, defined by a dusky shade, and the black nervules break 

 up the border into six spots ; on the hind wings four or five of 

 the white spots are centred with black dots. The female has a 

 similar border, but on the hind wings it is inwardly edged with 

 orange. It has been named var. fowleri, and I have seen one 

 example of this form without black dots in the marginal white 

 spots of the hind wings. On the under side variation is on 

 somewhat similar lines to that adverted to in the last species. 

 On Plate 109, Fig. 8 represents the typical under side of the 

 male, and Fig. 7 that of the female. It will be noticed that the 

 male is greyer than the female. Some of the ordinary aberra- 

 tions are shown on the same plate, and some rarer ones will 

 be found on Plate 118, and of these Fig. 12, if without the 

 basal spot on the fore wings, would represent var. lucretia. 



For figures of the early stages see Plate 108 ; that of the 

 caterpillar is after Buckler. The egg is flat on the top, with a 

 slightly darker pit in the centre (the micropyle) ; the sides are 

 rounded, netted, and studded, and the colour whitish-green. 

 The above short description was taken from one of a few eggs 

 of this butterfly sent me in August last by Mr. Ovenden, and 

 the same egg has been figured. 



Mr. Frohawk has described the egg more fully in the 

 Entomologist for 1900. With reference to the egg-laying of 

 the butterfly he writes : " On August 13th, 1900, I watched 

 several females in the act of depositing, on various stems of the 

 usual stunted herbage to be found growing on chalk downs. 



