258 BRITISH BUTTERFLIES. 



(mid- July), Tyrol — Gampiglio (mid -July), Valais — Simplon (early 

 August). The smallest specimens in the British Museum coll., are 

 those from Morea, the Lebanon Mountains, Portugal, Norway, 

 certain parts of the Taunus Mountains, and of the Grisons, whilst, the 

 smallest in our own collection come from Pontresina (July, only brood), 

 Eoche (early August, second-brood), St. Michel-de-Maurienne (early 

 August, second- brood), Gresy-sur-Aix (mid- August, second brood), 

 Larche (late July, 6000ft., only brood). Approaching the smaller races, 

 but mixed in size, are specimens from the Brevent (August), Arolla 

 (August), Le Lautaret (August), Val Veni (August), Mont de la Saxe 

 (August), Bricolla Alp (August), Combe d' Arolla (August), Guarda 

 (July), all high alpine localities, where the insect is only single-brooded. 

 On the whole, therefore, the high mountain examples are racially not 

 smaller than the second-brood of the plains. No doubt Meyer-Diir's com- 

 parison (posted,, p. 269) was made against the large lowland specimens of the 

 plains. These mountain specimens average about 27mm. -28mm. ; he 

 says, " the size of average Vacciniina optilete, or lowland Plebeius aegon." 

 Even the highest mountain races rarely measure less than 27mm. 

 (measuring from apex of wing to mid- thorax and doubling), although 

 occasional examples may go down to 25mm., whilst the smallest aber- 

 rational specimens of the plain rarely run under 25mm. or 26mm. These 

 small examples we call ab. minor, n. ab. The largest examples in the 

 British Museum coll. measure — $ s 38mm. (Bulgaria), 88mm. (Eperies), 

 37mm. (Ural), etc. ; ? s 89mm. (Bulgaria), 38mm. (Eperies), 38mm. 

 (Sutschan). The smallest are $ 25mm. (N. Syria), 26mm. (Luchon, 

 Pyrenees), 27mm. (Syria) ; 2 s 26mm. (Bergiin), 26mm. (Greece). 

 Lowe says that the largest $ s in his collection are 35mm. (Bozen, La 

 Granja) ; 2 s 35mm. (La Granja), 32mm. (Eclepens) ; the smallest $ s 

 25mm. (Trafoi), 26mm. (Martigny), $ s 29mm. (Pontresina, Eclepens), 

 small examples being typical at Trafoi, but quite exceptional at Eclepens, 

 and large ones typical of La Granja. Mann states (iris, viii., p. 

 40) that the examples from the Dobrudscha are much larger than 

 those found near Vienna. Eeverdin notes (in. litt.) that the largest 

 $ in his collection (65 examples) measures 30mm. (32mm.) * and 

 came from the Laquinthal (July), the largest 2 28mm. (32mm.) 

 from the Kienthal (August), the smallest $ 22mm. (23mm.) from the 

 Petit Saleve (September), the smallest 5 22mm. (25mm.) from Arolla 

 (July), all alpine localities except perhaps the Petit Saleve. The 

 otherwise typical examples above 34mm., we call ab. major, n. ab. As a 

 matter of fact, apart from the very large examples that come from the 

 lowlands of Central Europe — Berlin, Eperies, etc. — those from the 

 lower valleys of the Alps, i.e., at a moderate elevation, are quite as 

 large as the average specimens from the lowlands of various other parts 

 of Europe and Asia, and much larger than many of the examples of 

 the second broods of the plains ; although those from the highest and 

 most exposed alpine localities do certainly become smaller and darker, 

 as many collectors have noticed. Rowland-Brown observes that he 

 has such from the Val d'Anniviers, Val d'H6rens, the Saas-Thal, 

 and above Alios, whilst Grund observes (Int. Ent. Zeit. Gub., ii., p. 87) 

 that " small $ s with broad black borders are not rare in the Agram 

 district." Meyer-Diir's generalisation of a gradual lessening in size, 

 from the lowest to the highest elevations, must therefore be accepted with 



* The first measurement is from apex to apex of the wing of the set insect ; 

 the second measurement from the apex of the wing to mid-thorax x 2. 



