832 BRITISH BUTTERFLIES. 



characterised by this, for, it has, in addition, distinct traces of inter 

 neural anternarginal dots united to the marginal border of the fore- 

 wings, giving the border quite a widened appearance, whilst the 2 of 

 this race is also very specialised. In some $ s a series of fine, narrow, 

 white streaks is found immediately inside the slender, black, marginal 

 line, and parallel with the margin of the wing ; the streaks are usually 

 equidistant from one another, and occupy only the middle of the inter- 

 neural space, but sometimes they are elongated, and almost touch (= 

 ab. albolineata); very rarely they extend from the anal angle (when the 

 first streak is placed under the double black dot when it exists) to the 

 anterior margin, or as far as the black costal portion of the hindwing ; 

 more often, they are found only in the posterior interneural spaces, 

 and, when any are wanting, it is always the front ones, so that when 

 the posterior spaces are without them, there are none at all. Eeverdin 

 notes (in lift.) that he finds in his collection — 13 $ s with the streaks, out 

 of 15 without the anternarginal series of black dots ; 28 with the streaks 

 out of 30 which have the black dots only slightly marked ; 10 out of 10 

 in which the black dots are well-marked — the specimens belonging to 

 both broods. Blachier observes (in lift.) that these white interneural 

 streaks are specially noticeable in some $ s from Charente-Inferieure, 

 in which the effect is very curious. The Js of this species are very 

 variable, and the variations difficult to group, although most fall under 

 certain definite types characterised by the ground colour, the quantity 

 of blue scales, and orange lunular markings. The ground colour is 

 sometimes distinctly brownish (more often in the late than in the early 

 brood, though occurring in both) ( = ab. brunnescens), more generally 

 blackish-fuscous ( = ab. nigrescens), particularly in the first brood, 

 though sometimes the prevailing form in the second. The blue scaling 

 may be altogether wanting, or may be spread over the whole wing 

 area ; it also shows two very distinct tints — the brilliant sky-blue of 

 adonis, and the bright purple-blue of purpurascens, the latter, in British 

 examples, much more frequent ; the extreme forms of those with the 

 brilliant <7do>n's-blue have a very distinct metallic sheen ( = ab. metallica, 

 n. ab.). The orange lunules, which, similarly, may be confined to a 

 small area on the hindwing, or developed into a well-developed band 

 on all the wings, vary from a pale yellow (flavescens), through bright 

 orange (aurescens), to red (rufescens). Hodgson notes (Proc. Sih. Land. 

 Ent. Soc, 1908, p. 46) that, in British examples, " the tone varies 

 from deep red or brown to pale yellow or primrose-white " ; on the 

 whole, however, the British specimens are among those with the 

 reddest spots, the Dalmatian examples the fullest orange, but the 

 latter, so far as our observation goes, show no trace of blue. The 

 following is a rough attempt to tabulate the forms, not distinguishing, 

 however, between those of decided brown (brunnescens) and blackish 

 (nigrescens) ground colour — 



1. — With orange lunules on hindwings only = ab. posticolumdata , n. ab. 



2. — With orange lunules on hindwings, and faintly also on f orewings = ab. 

 liuiulata, n. ab. 



3. — With orange lunules well developed on all wings = ab. marginata, Tutt. 



la. — As in 1, but with blue scaling at base of forewings, on inner margin of 

 hindwings, and edging orange lunules externally = ab. venilia, Bergstr. ( = t)ieti* ? , 

 v. llott., in part). 



2a. — As in 2, but with blue scaling at base of forewings, on inner margin of 

 hindwings, and edging orange lunules externally = ab. venilia-lunulata, n. ab. ( = 

 thetis ? , v. Bott., in part). 



