208 BRITISH BUTTERFLIES. 



species are found at Cauterets. Staudinger seems to me to be wrong- 

 in making hypochiona, Ramb., diagnosed as ' major subtus albicans,' 

 a variety of argyrognomon; hypochiona is certainly an Andalusian form 

 of aryus (aegon), and not of argyrognomon. In the same Catalog, p. 10, 

 Staudinger makes another error, in uniting calliopis, Bdv., with 

 argyrognomon ; the former is a very distinct species from Dauphiny ; 

 the 2 is not only ' crerulescens,' certain 2 argyrognomon also are 

 that, but the two sexes are very distinct by the ' gris de lin ' colour of 

 all four wings beneath, and the extraordinary tendency to obsolescence 

 in the black spots." Yet again, Oberthiir returns (Etudes, xx., 1896, 

 pp. 26-28) to these species. After giving a clear resume of the facts 

 relating to argyrognomon and its variation, he observes that "the small 

 Lapland race differs scarcely from that of the Riffel- Alp, known as aegidi- 

 o/?,Meissner," etc. This latter name, as has already been shown (p. 191), 

 does not belong to argyrognomon, but to aryus (aeyon), and it maybe noted 

 that the Lapland race of argyrognom on = lapponica , Gerh. , and the mount- 

 ain-form = alpina, Berce, of the same species, are not particularly alike, the 

 2 I ay p onic a being, as a rule, much more suffused with blue. Oberthiir then 

 states that Staudinger "is mistaken in referring bella, H.-Sch., to argus 

 (aegon) as a variety," as specimens sent to him as "bella, from the 

 Taurus (Barud-Dagh), belong to argyrognomon, and come very near the 

 Pyrenean race of this species." Here, no doubt, Oberthiir is himself 

 mistaken ; we have already given (antea, p. 187) our reasons for 

 believing bella, H.-Sch., to be a form of argus (aegon). Oberthiir then 

 adds that " argyrognomon from China, Manchuria, and Japan, is larger 

 than in Europe, the 2 has the tawny spots much better marked 

 above, and more striking on the hindwings ; in both sexes, the 

 black spots are thicker on the underside, the ground colour brighter, 

 and its tint, in the $ , more grey and less brown." This is so, the 

 Japanese specimens of P. argtjrognomon being sometimes as large as 

 P. argus var. coreana. "At Marseille, Digne, Barcelonette, and Vichy, 

 argyrognomon has a 2. , sometimes tinted with blue as in the ab. 

 ceronus of A. bellargus, of which the underside approaches the form from 

 the Pyrenees, being greyer and bluer, particularly at Vichy. The race 

 from Marseille, from the Basses-Alpes, and from the Allier, evidently 

 leans to calliopis, Bdv. (Jcones, pi. xv., 2 , figs. 4-5), first taken by 

 Boisduval at Grenoble." He again says that he believes that calliopis 

 is a distinct species, but is less assertive than in his preceding 

 statement concerning this insect (supra). 



Egglaying. — The eggs are deposited singly, and adhere firmly to 

 the object on which they are laid in July and August (Frohawk), e.g., 

 the stems of Erica cinerea, June 15th, 1900 (Prideaux); furze, 

 July 24th, 1906 (Ray ward), etc. In confinement, ? s laid with great 

 reluctance on Lotus corniculatus, and almost more freely on the side of 

 a tin box, about August 6th, 1907 ; on August 24th, the young larvae 

 were found fully developed within the egg, but did not commence 

 to hatch till February 22nd, 1908 (Chapman). Three 2 s, sleeved 

 on heath and Lotus corniculatus, deposited, on July 20th, 1905, 

 twenty ova, nineteen on the heath, and one on Lotus corniculatus ; on 

 July 23rd, 1905, six other 2 s only deposited two ova between them, on 

 heath. These eggs remained as such till March 10th, 1906 (when one 

 hatched), another March 11th, three on the 14th, one on the 16th, 

 one on the 20th, two on the 23rd, one on the 24th, and the last on the 



