156 ERITISH BUTTERFLIES. 



persica, Tutt. Usually, in this form, the spotting of the forewings 

 tends also somewhat to obsolescence. South's example, captured at 

 Ventnor, in June, 1887, had, in addition to the absence of the ocellated 

 spots on the hindwings, only three of the submedian spots present on 

 the forewings, w T hilst Turner's, captured at Banstead, in 1902, had 

 only four of the submedian spots remaining. We have a note of one 

 Continental example of this form, viz., a Finland specimen in the 

 Helsingfors Museum (Federley, in litt.). 



k. ab. dextro-obsoleta, n. ab. Icarus ab., Sabine, "Ent.," xx., p. 288 (1887). 

 — The undersides of the left wings spotted normally, those of the right wings of 

 the obsolete form. 



A. ab. sinistro-obsoleta , n. ab. — The undersides of the right wings spotted 

 normally, those of the left wings of the obsolete form. 



Both these aberrations are exceedingly rare in British collections. 



/x. ab. obsoleta, Clark, "Ent.," xxxviii., p. 261 (1905); "Trans. City Lond. 

 Ent. Soc," 1905, p. 10 (1906); Pickett, "Ent. Rec," xix.,p. 243 (1907); Gillm., 

 "Int. Ent. Zeits. Gub.," ii., p. 178 (1908); Tutt, " Ent.Rec.," xxii., p. 100 (1910). 

 Alexis var. e, Stphs., " Illus. Brit. Ent.," i., p. 92 (1828). Lacon, Stephs., " List," 

 p. 24 (1829); Dale, "Hist. Brit. Butts.," p. 71 (1890). Persica [, Staud., " Cat.," 

 2nd ed., p. 12, in part (1871);] Auriv., " Nord. Fjar.," p. 14 (1888); Biihl, " Pal. 

 Gr.-Schmett.," p. 761 (1895); Auld, " Proc. Sth. Lond. Ent. Soc.," 1896, p. 56 

 (1897); Reutti, "Lep. Fn. Baden," p. 23 (1898); Gillm., "Ent. Zeits. Gub.," 

 xvii., pp. 76, 84 (1904); Rebel, " Berge's Schmett.," 9th ed., p. 70 (1909). Alexis 

 ab., Obth., "Etudes," etc., xx., p. 23 (1896). Icarus ab., Oldaker, "Ent.," 

 xxxv., p. 218 (1902); xxxvi., p. 54 (1903); " Proc. Sth. Lond. Ent. Soc," 1902, 

 p. Ill (1903); South, "Ent.," xxxvi., p. 249, fig. (1903); Buckstone, "Proc. Sth. 

 Lond. Ent. Soc," 1908, p. 97 (1909). Caeca, Gillm., "Int. Ent. Zeits. Gub.," 

 iv., p. 3 (1910). — The basal and submedian spots of all wings absent ; the marginal 

 lunules present with more or less developed orange chevrons, usually better 

 developed on hind- than on forewings. 



Clark's type, obsoleta, w r as almost identical with that figured by 

 South (Ent., xxxvi., p. 249, fig.). For ourselves we should have 

 been content to have left it under the name persica, Bien., from which 

 it merely differs in that the latter not only has the ocellated spots, but 

 also the red lunules, extinct, whilst this has the red lunules more or 

 less developed, and the ground colour of this is usually whitish-grey 

 rather than " white," as Bienert's is described; that of the ? is usually 

 fawn or grey, tinged with brown. Clark appears to have first 

 suggested the name, possibly not knowing that persica, Bien., w T as 

 usually applied to this form. Pickett, who also used the name, writes 

 (in litt.) that his is a very perfect ? , with only the usual central 

 discoidal lunule on each wing, the marginal markings weak, the usual 

 orange lunules on the outer margin of the hindwings pale yellow, the 

 ground colour whitish-grey. Gillmer next used it (hit. Ent. Zeits. 

 Gub., ii., p. 178), stating that peisica does not, perhaps, exactly fit our 

 European aberration, and would, therefore, better be replaced by 

 obsoleta. The form was first described by Stephens (Illus. Brit. Ilatist., 

 i., p. 92, var. e ) as having " all the wings beneath with a triangular 

 discoidal spot only, the hinder margin of the anterior wings with a, 

 few indistinct dusky marks, and of the posterior with a fulvous band 

 terminated internally with a series of black wedge-shaped spots, and 

 externally with black dots on a white ground." The form is no doubt 

 a comparatively rare one. South figures and describes (hut., xxxvi., 

 p. 219, fig.) a $> captured by Bergman, at Lulworth Cove, in 1908; 

 Auld mentioned a specimen (I 'roc Sth. Load. Ent. Soc, 189(5, p. 56) 

 captured in the New Forest, 1896; Oldaker, a ' taken on Banmore 



