EVEEES ARG-IADES. 59 



Germany under the erroneous name of polyspercTwn, and two examples taken at 

 Xanuir and Huy by Polet de Faveaux, on the limestone rocks in May and June, 

 whilst amyntas appears at the end of July and August. Myrmidon only measures 

 9 lin. in expanse. 



4. Corctas. — The fulvous anal lunule very small, the ocellated spots on the 

 underside small, and almost without the little tail. If this last character be not 

 accidental it would suggest a specific difference. 



This summary involves some remarkable conclusions, and not a few 

 contradictions (1) Amyntas, after de Selys, would be our large form of 

 typically coloured argiatles, and with blue bases and well-developed 

 fulvous crescents in the 2 ; whilst the reference to the French authors 

 would suggest 2 alcetas. (2) The figures of tiresias, Hb., which de 

 Selys refers to his polysperchon, were named alcetas by HofTrnansegg, 

 and were so called by Hiibner (Eur. Schmett., text p. 51); later, 

 Hiibner (Verz., p. 69) erroneously referred this insect to polysperchon, 

 Bergstr., with which it has nothing whatever in common ; de Selys 

 follows this error, and could not; possibly have consulted the original 

 figures or descriptions.''' - (3) Myrmidon, of Ernst and Engramelle, 

 appears to be a mere duplication of polysperchon, Bergs., to which 

 these authors referred their insect; the blue 2 s, therefore, received 

 by de Selys from Germany, would possibly be quite correctly 

 named ; de Selys' myrmidon also agrees in its small size. (4) 

 Coretas, as described by de Selys, would appear to be true alcetas. 

 De Selys' attempt to put these various forms right, therefore, was not 

 very successful, as be failed to refer to the original descriptions. 

 When Zeller, in 1847-8, first proved conclusively that the smaller 

 spring race, then generally known in Germany as polysperchon, was 

 the progeny of the larger summer race, then called amyntas, by breeding- 

 one from the other, he reared some remarkably pale-grey or greyish-blue 

 forms that are now in the Brit. Mus. coll., and have already been 

 noted (anted, pp. 54, 55). Two specimens he particularly describes 

 (Stett. Ent. Zty., 1849, x., p. 181) as noteworthy : (1) g of normal 

 size; upperside more intense blue with admixture of reddish 

 colour ; the black borders are decided and broader than usual ; the 

 underside dark grey, much less whitish ; whilst on the hindwings, the 

 marginal spots, except the orange-coloured ones, are quite obsolete ; 

 the central row also is absent ; only the ocellated spots on the outer 

 and inner margin are there, and these are unusually small = ab. semi- 

 ohsoleta, n. ab. (2) 2 , so abnormally coloured compared with the 

 other 2 s that it was at first considered to be a $ ; the upperside bright 

 blue, inclining to whitish on the costa and hind margin of forewings; 

 the discoidal streak very distinct ; the hindwing broadly blackened on 

 the costa, has the marginal markings of the $ fully developed, 

 the two red spots large and more brightly-coloured ; the underside not 

 at all abnormal. Schawerda records (Yerh. z.-b. Ges. Wien., liv., p. 123) 

 a c? of E. aryiades, with black hindwings, taken in the Hohen- Wand 

 at about 1000m. Oberthur notes (in litt.) a particularly large $ taken 

 at Entrevaux, in July, 1906, with a very wide black marginal border ; 

 he adds, that, strangely, in the not very distant locality of Digne, in 

 July, 1904, the specimens were very small. 



As to the seasonal dimorphism exhibited, apart from a general 

 overlapping in the various broods in size, there is, certainly, on the 



* Alcetas is common in the Bordeaux district. Does argiades occur there ? 



