62 BRITISH BUTTERFLIES. 



about -60mm. wide, -30mm. in height ; viewed laterally, it has the 

 outline of a flattened cheese with rounded edges; viewed from above, 

 there is nothing of which I can think that the egg so closely resembles 

 as the well-grown blossom of a double dahlia with flattened centre. 

 It is of a pale green colour when first laid. The micropyle forms a 

 depressed area in the centre (at the apex), and is composed of rings of 

 the very finest rounded cells, arranged concentrically. This area is of 

 a rather darker green than the general colour. Around this, and over 

 the greater part of the upper (and still somewhat depressed) area of 

 the egg, the cells assume a roughly quadrangular and polygonal 

 (mostly pentagonal) form, arranged concentrically, and increasing in 

 size from the micropylar area outwards, the edges of the cells being 

 formed of fine raised silvery-white lines. Outside this area, i.e., 

 covering the outer portion of the upper part of the egg and the sides, 

 there are (viewed from above) five rings of squat pyramidal-shaped 

 elevations of bright silvery-white colour, from the apex of each of 

 which six (or seven) curved silvery lines run down, until they meet the 

 similar curved lines coming from the adjacent elevations, so that 

 under a moderately high power, each of these lateral cells has 

 separately the appearance of a distinct support with six concave 

 radiating cables curving from the summit. There are three rings of 

 these cells on the sides. The appearance of these raised points and 

 their attachments is very remarkable and beautiful, and looks like 

 whitest spun glass or filigree-silver (Tutt, August 22nd, 1897). [The 

 egg is figured (x20) Ent. Bee, xii., pi. xi., fig. 2.] Diameter of egg 

 •60mm. (Reigate), *70mm. (Ste. Maxime), height -28mm. As seen by 

 the naked eye or with a hand lens, the top of the egg has the appear- 

 ance of being very flat and level, as if treated with a steam roller, the 

 pattern is there, but only when the side that escaped the steam-roller 

 is reached do the raised points at the angles of the network assert 

 themselves ; on a higher magnification, the central (micropylar) area 

 appears as a small dark centre, a little sunk, with very fine reticula- 

 tion, in width about one-eighth that of the egg; outside this is the 

 white flat top, in width about three-quarters that of the egg, with fine 

 reticulation, the meshes smallest centrally; counting a little diagonally, 

 i.e., on the spiral of the engine-turning pattern, there are twelve cells 

 from centre (outside micropylar depression) to where the angles 

 become raised on the outer slope ; outside this, i.e., on the rounded 

 edge, the mesh is distinctly well marked, the lines being, as it were. 

 hung in a curve from one point to the next. These points are 

 prominent and white, and related to six surrounding points, to each of 

 which a line or rib runs ; the result, as seen on a side view, is most 

 regular and pleasing, and looks as if sculptured out of snow. There 

 are four points from above down, counted vertically, six counted on 

 the diagonal (Chapman). Gillmer has described the egg exceedingly well 

 (IUhs. Zeits. fin- Ent., v., p. 35), as also did Frohawk (Ent., xxxiii., p. 

 300) in September, 1900; the latter strangely claimed to have first 

 described it, although a description of the egg was published (Ent. 

 Il<><\, ix., pp. 262-3) three years earlier, and the egg was exhibited at 

 the South London Ent. Soc. (/ W., S. I.. E. Soc, 1897, pp. 139-142), 

 whilst another was figured by Clark [Ent. lice., xii., pi. xi., fig. 2). 



Comparison ok EGOS ok Agriades Thetis AND A. OOBIDON. — The 

 eggs of A. thetis and A. coridon are very much alike, but the former is 



