AGRIADES CORIDON. 93 



astrarche, Polyommatus hylas, P. escheri, P. eros, and Plebeius argyro- 

 gnomon, together with Adopaea lineola, rose in clouds from the puddles and 

 runnels when disturbed ; there must have often been at least 300 to 400 

 examples of these species alone in a single little congeries. Mrs. Nicholl 

 reports that A. coridon occurred with Glaucopsyche iolas, Polyommatus 

 amandus, and other species, covering every damp place on the path that 

 ran up the sides of theBabaPlanina,a limestone mountain about 16 miles 

 south-east of Gacko in Bosnia. It is often also attracted to less cleanly 

 fluids, for, in August, 1899, it was observed settling on the surface of 

 a pool draining from a manure heap above the village of Simplon, 

 and seemed to have difficulty in rising from the surface again, a reason, 

 perhaps, that accounted for the fact that many examples (together with 

 many moths) were lying drowned on the surface. We have also 

 frequently observed it attracted to the excrement of horses and mules 

 in the roadway, e.g., at Clelles, Chavoire, Evolene, and many other 

 places. " Oberthiir makes the same observation with regard to this 

 species, in the Hautes-Pyrenees. Both Carrington and Jenner-Weir note 

 (Proc. Sth. Pond. Ent. Soc, 1890, p. 46) the frequency with which the 

 species has been observed to alight on sheep's droppings, and Barraud 

 states (in litt.) that, in August, 1901, he noticed three separate cases 

 of $ s congregating on sheep's droppings, and with one stroke of the 

 net captured more than two dozen specimens. Prideaux records that, 

 in 1895, the bulk of the $ s of A. coridon appeared before the 2 s in 

 the Isle of Wight, and that the former had begun to be scarce by the 

 time that the latter were well out, so much so, that, on August 8th, 

 every $ seen in a certain locality near Carisbrooke, was paired with a 

 2 . Spiller made a similar observation near Chinnor, in 1891. The 

 2 s appeared to greatly outnumber the $ s also during the first fort- 

 night of September, 1907, at Cuxton. At the end of the afternoon 

 this species, like A. thetis and P. icarus, is to be seen settling high 

 up on grass heads, the stems or capitula of knapweed, and other tall 

 herbage, in a spot usually sheltered from the wind, very often in con- 

 siderable numbers. Generally they rest head downwards, and are fairly 

 conspicuous until their forewings are drawn right down between 

 the hindwings, but, by this time, many have got farther down 

 among the sheltering herbage, whilst, in very rough weather, the 

 greater number get quite down on the ground among the roots and 

 beneath stems, where they are much better protected. Borgmann 

 observes that, on one evening excursion, on the Lindenberg, near Cassel, 

 he saw the butterfly in hundreds, both sexes, sitting on the stalks of 

 wheat. As to the irregularity of the species in abundance, it may be 

 noted that 1887, 1889, 1891, 1899, were years of great abundance in 

 southern England, yet, in 1890, scarcely an example w T as seen in the 

 localities where in 1889 and 1891 the species almost swarmed. So 

 abundant was the species in 1899, at Eastbourne, that Adkin reports 

 (Proc. Sth. Pond. Ent. Soc, 1899, p. 46) that, as he walked through the 

 long grass that grows so thickly in the little hollows under the downs, 

 after the sun had sunk below the hills, examples of this species and 

 Polyommatus icarus rose in quite bewildering clouds. Prideaux observes 

 (in litt.) that, on August 19fch, 1905, a redstart was observed successfully 

 sweeping up specimens of this species on Bowcombe Down, Isle of 

 Wight. Colthrup records (Countryside, 1908, p. 267) that he observed 

 imagines of this species when at rest on grass stems at Beachy Head 

 on August 16th, 1907, attacked by a pair of furze-chats. He further 



