POLYOMMATUS ICARUS. 127 



the middle of summer they are very dark with little or no blue, a most 

 unexpected statement considering how blue the British $ s frequently 

 are in both the early summer and autumn broods. Blachier states (in 

 lift.) that many forms of the 2 occur in the Geneva district, among 

 which he notes — 



(1) Entirely brown, with or without red lunules. 



(2) Brown with base blue, with or without red lunules. 



(3) Almost entirely blue, usually with lunules, surmounted with black 

 chevrons, the blue reaching to the lunules. 



(4) Almost entirely blue with black border to the forewings, which are without 

 lunules ; some red lunules resting on the black marginal spots and surmounted with 

 chevrons on the hindwings. 



(5) Almost entirely blue, with large orange-red lunules on all four wings 

 (Veyrier, 27. viii. '07; St. Cergues, 20. vii. '94). 



(6) Blue ? , in which the black chevrons surmounting the red lunules on the 

 hindwings, are lightened with white interiorly, the white usually affecting the form 

 of the chevrons or triangles, especially in cells three and four (nr. Geneva, 29. v. '09, 

 9. vi. '09, 17. ix. '09). 



Blachier adds that he has, in his collection, $ s similar to these last, 

 but of a more azure and clearer blue, and with more white, from Syria, 

 where, however, this form of the 2 appears to be rare, also 2 similar 

 2 s from Sussex in England. Reverdin gives (in litt.) some interesting 

 notes on the blue-scaled specimens in his collection, remarking that (1) 

 out of seven examples of ab. icarinus in bis collection three are blue- 

 scaled, of ten ab. candiope (ipMs) six are blue-scaled, of nineteen 

 normally spotted ? s with two basal points three are blue- scaled. 

 Separately from these he notes that, of twelve 2 s captured at Pardigon 

 at the commencement of April, 1908, six are slightly powdered with blue. 

 Blachier particularly notes (in litt.) a Sussex 2 , the base powdered 

 with blue, in which the two apical lunules of the forewings above are 

 not orange-reel like the others, but white, whilst, in another 2 > the three 

 apical lunules are of the same colour ; he adds that he has never seen the 

 form from elsewhere. Wheeler states tbat the ? s of the summer brood in 

 the Apennines (Assisi) are by no means large, and rarely have any touch 

 of blue on the uppersides. In southern France and northern Italy 

 comparatively few of the 2 s are scaled with blue in the summer 

 (August) brood, e.g., at Gresy-sur-Aix, Susa, etc., but one supposes the 

 spring brood is less constant. The difference in size is also sometimes 

 stated to be directly connected with the spring and summer broods, the 

 latter often being said to be smaller, but this again is only very approxi- 

 mately true. There is certainly remarkable variation in the size of the 

 species, several dwarf forms being named (see posted.) , of which two, at 

 least, are assumed to be racial (nana, Grund, and lucia, Culot) and one 

 seasonal (parvula, Kroul.), whilst Walker states (Trans. Ent. Soc. Lond., 

 1890, p. 373) that, in the Gibraltar district, in the middle of summer, 

 very small examples occur, some not exceeding 18mm. in expanse, 

 thus suggesting again a seasonal cause for the development of the 

 small forms. Staudinger says (Hoy. Soc. Ent. Ross., xiv., p. 242) that 

 the Amasian specimens vary in size, from 20mm. to 32mm., without, 

 however, any remark as to the difference not occurring in specimens 

 of all the broods. The smallest examples of the species barely reach 

 16mm., whilst the largest are fully 38mm. (ab. majoy). It would 

 appear that the species is usually largest in those areas, either at 

 fairly high latitudes or altitudes, where the species is single-brooded, 

 and smaller in the summer and autumn broods than in the spring, 



