242 BRITISH BUTTERFLIES. 



artaxerxes, an opinion contrary to that usually held by those entomo- 

 logists who considered the other two forms as distinct species. A 

 request in the Zoologist for 1858, p. 600, from Logan for larvae of 

 " agestis," coupled with an expression of opinion in favour of the 

 identity of the species, provoked a discussion in the same magazine, 

 in which Logan's view was backed by Newman, Harper- Crewe, and 

 Wailes, whilst the other side was upheld by Harding with considerable 

 bitterness but very small logic. A magnificent resume of the question 

 was published in the same year by Wailes in his Catalogue of the 

 Lepidoptera of Northumberland and Durham, pp. 24-85, in which 

 practically everything that had been written on the subject was 

 reviewed, and from that time the specific identity of the three forms 

 was generally allowed, the discovery that medon would also feed on 

 Helianthemum, and artaxerxes on Erodium, givng an additional reason 

 for this view. It was not, however, till 1877 that the case was 

 absolutely proved by Buckler who writes (Ent. Mo. Mac/, xv., p. 241, 

 April, 1879) as follows: " On June 3rd, 1877, Mr. J. E. Kobson, of 

 Hartlepool, while searching Helianthemum vulgare growing near the 

 coast in his locality, found five larvaa of a Lycaena, and at once very 

 kindly forwarded them to me ; on comparing them with the figures I 

 had taken of larvae of artaxerxes in 1868, I found them to be in every 

 respect precisely alike. These larvae soon fed upon Helianthemum, 

 protected by a glass cylinder, and they duly changed to pupae ; two of 

 them were unfortunately attacked with mould, but the other three 

 disclosed three differently marked butterflies, viz., on July 2nd, 5th, 

 and 7th. These appeared to be respectively salmacis, artaxerxes, and 

 agestis above, but to partake most of salmacis beneath."* 



We will now proceed to deal with these varieties and their 

 aberrations in detail. 



Var. artaxerxes, Fabr., "Ent. Sys.," iii., pt. 1, p. 297 (1793)f ; Wailes, "Cat. 

 Lep. Northd. Durh.," p. 24 (1858) ; Staud., " Cat.," 1st ed., p. 5 (1861) ; Zell., 

 "Ent. Mo. Mag.," iv., p. 77 (1867); Newm., " Brit. Butts.," p. 127, fig. 3+ on 

 p. 123 (1871) ; Kirby, " Syn. Cat.," p. 364 (1871) ; Staud., " Cat.," 2nd ed., p. 11 

 (1871); Kirby, "Eur. Butts.," p. 50 (1879); Lang, "Butts. Eur.," p. 115, pi. 

 xxiv., fig. 10 (1884); Kane, "Eur. Butts.," p. 41 (1885); Buckl., Larvae, i., p. 121, 

 pi. xvi., figs. 1, lb-g (1886) ; Auriv., " Nord. Fjar.," p. 13, (1888); Dale, " Hist. 

 Brit. Butts.," p. 74 (1890); Barr., "Lep. Brit. Isl.,'" i., p. 74, pi. x., figs. 3c-/ 

 (1893); Riihl, " Pal. Gr.-Schmett.," pp. 261 (1893), 759 (1895); Meyr., "Hndbk.," 

 p. 346 (1895) ; Tutt, " Brit. Butts.," p. 180 (1896); Kirby, " Hndbk.," ii., p. 102, 

 pi. xlviii., figs. 6, 7 (1896) ; Staud., " Cat.," 3rd ed., p. 83 (1901) ; Lamb., " Pap. 

 Belg.," p. 229 (1902); Spuler, " Schmett. Eur.," p. 63 (1902); Tutt, " Ent. Bee.," 

 xiv., p. 114 (1902); Harr., "Ent. Rec.," xvii., p. 280, (1905); xviii., p. 236 

 (1906) ; South, " Brit. Butts." p. 161, pi. cv.. figs. 15-17 (1906) ; Beb., " Berge's 

 Schmett.," 9th ed., p. 68 (1907) ; Seitz, " Gr.-Schmett,," i., p. 309, pi. lxxx., a 

 (1909). Artaxerces Obth., " Et.," xx., p. 25 (1896); " Feuille Jeunes Nat.," 

 4th ser., i., p. 17, pi. ii., fig. 19 (1900); "Lep. Comp.," iv., p. 250 (1910).— 

 Hesperia ruralis alis integerrimis nigris, anticis puncto medio albo, posticis lunulis 

 rufis, subtus margine albo rufo punctato. Habitat in Anglia (Fabricius). 



Fabricius adds that, beneath, all the wings are grey with white 

 hindmargin and a row of red spots, the forewings also with a white 

 median and the hindwings with many white spots. 



* This passage also occurs in Buckler's Larva, vol. i., but this work was not 

 published till some nine years later. 



f For other records see Synonomy of species, under Artaxerxes, Artaxerces, 

 pp. 228, 230. 



| This is of the form quadripuncta, Tutt, with a white spot on each wing. 



