190 BRITISH BUTTERFLIES. 



argyrophalara has only a single one, of a glistening, greenish-blue tint ; it has, on 

 both fore- and hind wings, throughout beneath, between the orange transverse band 

 and the subtnedian row of black ocelJated spots, a whitish area shaded with brown, 

 which, in argyra, only shows on the hindwings ; the underside, because of this 

 white field, resembles very much that of argus, but our argyrophalara has more 

 ocellated spots (Berg.stra.sser). 



The main characters of this form are the presence of yellow lunules 

 on the uppersideof all the wings, and the restriction of the silvery spots to 

 a single kernel at the anal angle of theundersideof hindwings. The figure 

 represents the $ form of argus (aeyon) in which the uppeiside is fuscous 

 in colour, and all the wings have a marginal series of pale yellowish 

 lunules. The underside is brown in colour ; the orange submarginal 

 band well-developed, the spots also well-developed and outlined with 

 white, but neither on the fore- nor hindwings is there a distinctive 

 white band inside the orange, as stated in the description. Wheeler 

 says (in lift.) that " the remarks, 'Very like argyra, it has, however, 

 on both wings on the underside, through the whole space between 

 the orange band and the collection of black ocellated spots on 

 the disc, a whitish ground colour, shaded with brown, which in argyra 

 only shows on the hindwing,' do not at all correspond with the figure, 

 in which there is no white, or whitish, band at all on the hindwing 

 inside the orange border, but, between the orange band and the margin, 

 the whole ground colour is white on both wings, and contains small 

 black spots and one silvery-biue spot on the hindwing near the anal 

 angle. On the forewmg there is a series of whitish wedge-shaped 

 dashes pointing inwards inside the orange band. The eye-spots of the 

 underside are large, and placed somewhat in the form of a P on the 

 forewing, and of a I) on the hindwing ; they are not unlike those of P. 

 zephyrus var. lycidas." As Bergstrasser's figures vary in different 

 copies of his work, we must follow the description, not the figure. 



Local Races. 

 a. var. philonomus a , Bergstr., " Nom.," ii., p. 73, pi. xliv., figs. 7-8 (1779); 

 Goze, " Ent. Beit.," iii., pt. 2, p. 79 (1780;; Bkli., " Sys. Besch.," i., p. 166 (1788); 

 Herbst, "Nat. Syst. Ins.," xi., p. 258, pi. cccxvi., figs. 11-13 (1804). Philonome ? , 

 Bergstr., "Nom," ii., p. 72, pi. xliv., fig. 6 (1779); Bkh., " Svs. Besch.," i., 

 pp. 166, 280(1788). jEgidion, Mciss, u Nuturw. Anz.," p. 88(1818); Charp., 

 "Germ, unci Zinck. Mag.," iv., p. 395 (1821); Meig., "Eur. Schmett.," ii., 

 pp. 33-4 (1830); Meyer-Diir, "Schmett. Schweiz," p. 66 (1851); Gerh., " Mon. 

 Schmett.," p. 13, pi. xxiii., figs. 4a-c (1853); Christ, "Jnhrb. Nat. Ges. 

 Graub.," xxvi., p. 11 (1883). JEgon var., Meig., " Eur. Schmett.," ii., 

 p. 31, pi. xlix., figs, (nl-e (1830). Alpina, Wheeler, "Butts. Switz.," p. 42 

 (1903); Rehf., " Bull. Soc. Lep. Gen.," i., pt, 3, p. 258 (1908).— Phihtiomuad . 

 P.P.li. alis rotundat is integerrimis coeruleo nigris, infra cinerascentibus, ordinibus 

 occllaribus quattuor, fasciaque inter primos ad marginem iulva. With rou.ided, 

 quite unindented wings, black-blue, ash-coloured beneath, and four arcuate rows of 

 eye-spots, the space between the two outermost of which arc filled with orange. Prob- 

 ably the 6 of the preceding {philonome) (Bergstrasser). Philonome ? . P.P.R. 

 philonome alis rotundatis integerrimis luscis, inlru cinerascentibus, ordinibusocellari- 

 bus quatuor, fasciaque inter primes ad marginem Iulva. All the wings unicolorous 

 blown, ashy-grey beneath, with lour arcuate rows of ocellated spots, and a reddish- 

 yellow band between the two outer rows. This ocellated butterfly, with an orange 

 band on the underside, is in no way thai smallest " Argus" of SrhafTer and Esper, 

 which shows that these authors have been too hasty in naming their insect minimus. 

 for here is another species, still somewhat smaller than our pseudolus ( = Leper's 

 minimus). Among those species with no orange transverse band, 1 certainly know 

 none smaller than pueudolus, but this does not deserve the name "Argus" butter- 

 fly, because the orange is quite absent. Apparently it is the ? of the next insect 

 (philonomus) (Bergstrasser). 



