AGRIADES THETIS. 339 



This appears to be a greyer form of the <? than ab. pallida, still 

 not without a blue tinge as is ab. argentea. The type, as noted above, 

 was taken in Hungary, in 1898. South, in 1887, described (Ent., xx., 

 p. 80) a similar form : $ . Grey, with pale mauve shade ; fringes 

 faintly chequered with pale grey ; black spots on hind margins of 

 hindwings indistinct ; underside as in bellargus ; taken in Kent, June, 

 1886. Webb notes four examples of a pure French grey colour (see 

 antea, p. 330). Prideaux recorded (Ent. Rec, iii., p. 8) the capture of a 

 specimen at Seaton, in September, 1891, described as of a pale lavender- 

 grey colour, and quite lustreless. Hodgson reports (Ent. Rec, xviii., 

 p. 53) the capture of three $ s of a decided slaty coloration, taken ten 

 days after the early September frosts of 1905, those taken before being 

 quite normal. 



y. ab: pallida, Austin, "Ent. Rec," i., p. 12 (1890); Ckll., "Ent. Rec," i., 

 p. 151 (1890); Tntt, " Brit. Butts.," p. 171 (1896); Mosley, " Vars. Brit. Lep.," p. 9, 

 pi. iii., fig. 20 (1896); Tutt, "Ent. Rec," xiv., p. 113 (1902); Wheel., "Butts. 

 Switz.," p. 32 (1903). Adonis ab., Bell., "Ann. Soc Ent. Fr.," p. 301 (1858); 

 Weir, " Ent.," ix., p. 253 (1876); Tutt, " Ent. Rec," iii., p. 270 (1892); Obth., 

 " Etudes," xx., p. 18, pi. iii., fig. 26 (1896). Bellargus ab., Sabine, " Ent.," xix., 

 pp. 176, 248 (1886); "Proc.Sth. Lond. Ent. Soc," p. 61 (1886); South, "Ent.," 

 xx,, p. 80, nos. 7, 4, 6, pp. 294, 295 (1887); Sabine, " Ent,," xx., pp. 181, 222 

 (1887); Tutt, "Ent.," xx., pp. 207, 258 (1887); Webb, "Ent.," xxi., p. 133(1888); 

 Tutt, "Ent.," xxii., pp. 160-1 (1889); Tyrer, "Ent, Rec," ii., p. Ill (1891); 

 Pickett, "Proc Sth. Lond. Ent. Soc," p. 114 (1902).— The upperside of a pale 

 lavender colour ; the underside with the usual white rings but no spots, the rings 

 being blind. Folkestone, 1889 (Austin). 



This is the pale form of the $ of the species, which has been 

 variously described as " pale lavender," " lilac," " pale lilac," etc., and 

 may be compared in tint, rather with the very palest forms of icarus, 

 than with the brilliant hues of typical thetis, but proved to be the latter 

 by the chequered fringes and characteristic underside of this species. 

 The name pallida is, of course, applicable only to the upperside colora- 

 tion, on which peculiarity the name was given, although Austin's 

 example had also the aberrational peculiarity of the underside known 

 as ab. albo-ocellata. This peculiar aberration, often erroneously said 

 to be confined to the Kentish chalkhills, was first recorded by Bellier 

 de la Chavignerie (Ann. Soc. Ent. France, 1858, p. 301), who states 

 that, on August 15th, 1847, he was in the Bois de Boulogne, where 

 adonis was flying abundantly ; the heat had been excessive, and a storm 

 appeared imminent ; that, on arrival on the ground, there was only 

 time to pin five $ s, when a violent thunderstorm came on, and that 

 later, he was astonished to find on examining the specimens captured, 

 that they were of a beautiful lilac colour, instead of the brilliant 

 shining blue normal to the species. He adds, that he vainly sought 

 the form afterwards, and never saw it again. Three of these five $ s 

 are now in Oberthur's collection, and the latter adds (Etudes, xx., p. 

 19) that he has two other examples, one from the " Ward coll.," 

 labelled "Silesia," the other from the " Howard -Vaughan coll.," 

 labelled " England." Oberthiir figures (op. cit., pi. iii., fig. 26) one of 

 Bellier's examples. The earliest examples taken in Britain appear to 

 have been some captured by ourselves and other collectors, between 

 1872 and 1875, on the downs above Hailing, followed by others 

 taken in 1885, on Bluebell hill, near Rochester, but Sabine was 

 the first to record their capture. This he did in 1886 (Ent., xix., 

 pp. 176, 248), and exhibited the specimens at the meeting of the 



