260 BRITISH BUTTERFLIES. 



Egglaying. — The eggs are laid on the underside of the leaves of 

 Helianthemum vulgare, to which they firmly adhere, in little groups of 

 twos, threes, or more together (Buckler). — The egg is usually deposited 

 on the underside of a leaf of Helianthemum. vulgare (or Erodium), and 

 in captivity several are in some cases laid side by side, though not 

 actually in contact (Ray ward). — The eggs are laid on the underside of 

 the leaves of Erodium circutarium, often several together, but scattered. 

 In eight to ten days the larvae' emerge (Zeller, Ids, 1840, p. 126). 

 After several attempts, which I made in the beginning of the summer 

 of last year, to observe the $ whilst ovipositing, and which were 

 always fruitless, through the weather, I at last ' succeeded. on August 

 22nd. A 2 settled on a fallow field on the bare ground. As I 

 observed in her vicinity some young Erodium plant just developed from 

 the seeds, I did not disturb her ; consequently I saw how she approached 

 towards one of these plants, and, after a short rest, curved her 

 abdomen, and deposited an egg on the underside of a small leaf ; having 

 done this she flew away (Id., Ent. Mo. Ma;/., iv., p. 73). On August 

 30th, 1906, I saw an A. medon lay an egg on Coiley Hill, Reigate. 

 She flew in little circles of a few inches to a foot in diameter, quietly, 

 and examined several places ; at last, when she got the right place, she 

 made several attempts to find the exact spot by bending her body 

 under a stem, and so on, but after several attempts succeeded in 

 laying an egg to her satisfaction. The place she chose was where the 

 Helianthemum was rather poor and trailing along the ground, and 

 lying close to it, although vigorous plants standing up w^ell were 

 plentiful close by. The actual place on w 7 hich the egg was laid w r as 

 the underside of a leaf within a quarter of an inch of the soil. The 

 egg hatched on September 4th (Chapman). 



The $ s, when ovipositing, behave in the usual manner of the 

 Lycamids, first resting on a leaf, then moving about with their abdomen 

 curved, and finally closing their wings with a jerk when they have 

 found a suitable place for the ovum. I have previously stated (Ent, 

 Bee, xvii., p. 24), that the ova are chiefly deposited upon the rosette 

 of leaves near the growing point of the rock-rose (Helianthemum vulgare). 

 That observation was made in Scotland upon a bleak portion of the 

 Fife coast, where the rock-rose was short and stunted. Having since 

 spent a considerable amount of time observing the species upon the 

 Durham coast, I have seen cause to modify my statement. In Durham, 

 in the many sheltered denes cutting through the Magnesian Limestone, 

 the rock-rose is of much freer growth, and there I have found quite as 

 many ova upon the leaves near the base of the stem, as upon the leaves 

 near the top. In July, this year (1906), I spent many hours searching 

 for ova of ab. salmacis, and found several upon black knapweed 

 (Centaurea nigra). When I proceeded to Scotland, in August, I 

 particularly examined the same plant and succeeded in finding one 

 ovum. Although in captivity the larva of /'. astrarche feed readily 

 enough on Geranium sanguineum, repeated searches on that plant have 

 (with the exception of one ovum found in July, 1902) always ended in 

 total failure. . . . The ova are laid singly upon the isolated plants 

 of rock-rose. Large masses of the plant should be carefully avoided in 

 searching for ova. Single plants, sheltered by a bush of any sort or 

 by rocks, are the most favoured. . . . The larvae emerge in from 

 6 to 15 days, depending on the temperature. They proceed from the 



