E VERES ARGIADES. 77 



on the plants than he saw them laid, for their pale colour renders 



them conspicuous against the dark green of the plant, so that they are 



readily found. The butterfly lays several eggs one after the other, but 



all quite singly, and then goes off to feed for a little time. On one 



head of unripe pods of Medicago lupulina he saw two eggs, but not 



more than one on any flower-bud. The time of egglaying, he adds, 



does not appear to be restricted to any particular hour of the day, but 



usually takes place, as probably is the case with most butterflies, on 



the first bright morning after a dull or rainy day. Frohawk says that 



the eggs appear to be laid singly, usually at the base of the leaves of 



Lotus, although, in confinement, several were deposited in a cluster, 



and others singly, on various parts of the plant ; eggs laid on 



July 24th, 1904 (? from South France), hatched July 30th, thus 



remaining only six days in the egg state. Sheldon observed a 



$ flying over Erica, apparently ovipositing, although this plant is 



not recorded as a foodplant, but he quite failed to find ova. Rehfous 



observes that, at Glanon-sur-Saone, the eggs are laid singly on the 



flower-heads of Trifolium pratense, thus supporting Zeller's observation 



that, in nature, the flower-head is the part selected. Edwards observed 



(Caii. Ent., viii., p. 202) a J (comyntas) laying eggs upon Desmodium 



marylandicum, and, on July 9th, 1876, the ? being enclosed over a 



stem of the plant, several eggs were laid on the tender terminal leaves ; 



another 2 > enclosed over Trifolium, red clover, on July 13th, deposited 



eggs on the young leaves and flowerets. Scudder notes (Butts. New 



Engl., ii., p. 915) that a 2 comyntas alighted on a stalk of Desmodium 



that he was holding in his hand and laid an egg on one of the green 



buds beyond the blue flowers, tucking it into the crevice between two 



adjoining seed-vessels ; other $ s enclosed over Lespedeza laid eggs 



high up on the stems, sometimes, but rarely, on the upper surface of 



the leaves, sometimes on the stalk itself, but generally either on one 



side of the base of the leaf-stalks or tucked in between the flower-buds, 



in some crevice or in the axils of the leaves. The eggs hatch in from 



3^- to 4 days. Aaron states (Can. Ent., ix., p. 200) that the eggs are 



laid in Tennessee on " ragweed" (probably Desmodium) in preference 



to white clover {Trifolium). 



Ovum. — The egg is of the usual Lycaenid shape, nearly circular, 

 very flat, with many tubercles, and depressed in the centre ; in the 

 middle of this depression is a navel-like elevation, on which lies a green 

 spot. When laid, the egg is very pale green in colour, but soon becomes 

 light greenish- white, and lastly almost white ; the oval stage lasting, 

 at Glogau, from 8-9 days (Zeller). The egg is about '446mm. in 

 diameter, and -223mm. in height (about the same size as that of C. 

 minima, but resembling that of Polyommatus icarus in shape). Circular in 

 outline, compressed, of a clear, pale greenish-blue colour, but varying 

 both in extent of ground colour and in structure of reticulations, which 

 are white, resembling frosted glass, and cover the whole surface in an 

 irregular network pattern ; in some, the pattern is almost like ordinary 

 network, forming squares, others have the cells triangular, but all are 

 irregular, and some have the juncture of the reticulations much more 

 prominent than others. The upper surface is very slightly sunken, 

 being almost flat, with a somewhat irregularly formed micropyle, 

 which is darker and without the frosted appearance which covers the 

 whole of the surface excepting the base ; the reticulations on the 



