358 BRITISH BUTTERFLIES. 



only one basal spot, and in all cases the lower is the one lacking, 23 

 have the 2 normal spots, 22 have a third spot against the upper normal 

 and separate therefrom, in 6 the third is united to it, and forms an 

 interneural streak. In 18 2 s, 6 have 2, 7 have 1, and 1 has no basal 

 ■spots, 3 have a third spot, and 2 have the extra spot united to the 

 -upper as a streak. In our own British collection, the imipuncta 

 generally have the upper spot retained, but in several instances the 

 lower, whilst, strangely, Reverdin does not mention a single double 

 lower spot which is with us quite common. 



v. ab. saphyrus, H.-Sch., "Sys. Bearb.," vi., supp. L, p. 27 (1852); " Sys. 

 .Bearb. Ind. Alph.-Sjn.," to vol. i., p. 21 (1855). — Saphyrus, Kaden, is a large «? 

 of adonis, with no black marginal dots on tbe upperside, but beneath tbe marginal 

 -lunules are rounded off as in Lycuena corydon, and are very finely edged with 

 black (Herrich-Schaffer). 



Herrich-Schaffer, in the above description, refers to the name as 

 saphyrus, Kaden (evidently a MS. name), then in the Index Alp/t.- 

 Synonymicus, to vol. i., he calls it saphyruSfJLsj). We can discover no 

 saphyrus, Esp., and, if Kaden was referring to sapphirus, Meigen, in his 

 letter to Herrich-Schaffer, he was evidently wrong in his species, as 

 the latter is esclieri, Hb., and Herrich-Schaffer says that Kaden's insect 

 was a form of bellaryus as above described. Gillmer says (in lift.) that 

 the saphyrus, H.-Sch., is merely a large $ , without the marginal spots 

 of tbe puncta form, whilst, on the underside of the forewings, the 

 marginal lunules, finely edged with black, are rounded as in A. corydon, 

 not acuminate as is usual in A. thetis (bellanjus), whilst all other mark- 

 ings are normal. The aberration appears to have been scarcely 

 worthy of a name. 



Egglaying. — A ? was watched on June 5th, 1893, at Cuxton, 

 laying eggs on the leaves of Hi/tpocrepiscouiosa ; her habit seemed to be 

 similar in all cases, fluttering slowly over the herbage and then select- 

 ing a plant, laying a single egg on the surface of a leaflet, then 

 crawling a short distance, laying another if a suitable leaflet were 

 found, or if not going to another plant at no great distance. The great 

 resemblance of the egg to a minute speck of chalk, of which 

 there are usually plenty on the leaves, was also noted. Joy notes 

 (in litt.) that his observations have led him to suppose that the eggs 

 were laid on tbe upperside of a leaflet, but Rayward says (in litt.) 

 thtit he has several times found eggs in nature, and, last June, at 

 Lewes, he watched a ? ovipositing, and that, in his experience, he 

 has found the egg usually attached to the undersurface of the leaf of 

 ■the foodplant, but not invariably so, but that he has occasionally 

 found it in other positions and even on a stem of grass growing 

 with the II. roniosa. Adkin observes (in litt.) that, on the morning 

 •of September 27th, 1909, near Eastbourne, between 11 a.m. and 

 noon, he watched a 5 , that had been feeding for some time on a 

 knapweed flower, flit away a dozen yards or so up a steep bank, then 

 hover over the herbage, apparently examining it, finally settling down 

 •on a small plant of Uippocrepiscomosa and remain for, perhaps, half-a- 

 •minute upon it ; she then flew about a yard, again selected a small 

 plant of Hippocrepis, on which she settled, and, as he was within a 

 yard of her, he was able to see her protrude her abdomen, bend it under 

 one of the very small leaflets, and, as subsequent search proved, deposit 

 an egg on the underside; again she flitted on, examining the herbage 

 as she went, and ultimately selected another tiny plant of JJippocrcpis, 



