274 BRITISH BUTTERFLIES. 



It settles abruptly, taking up no fixed position with regard to the sun, 

 sometimes letting the wings slowly down after settling, but most often 

 leaving them closed over the back, the forewings quite close, the hind^ 

 wings slightly separate from each other. In this position it generally 

 moves the hindwings slowly up and down alternately, and continues 

 doing so for some time. Sometimes, however, when settled on a flower 

 in this position it will slowly work its way round, until the sun shines 

 on its back, its wings let down' slowly, until the sun falls directly on 

 its deeply coloured dark wings, causing it to drop them lower and 

 lower, until at last they are something less than horizontal, in which 

 position it rests for a time, when it will move round again and again, the 

 angle of inclination of the wings to each other varying with its changing 

 position. It chooses a variety of flowers on which to rest and feed, 

 and imagines were observed on August 2nd, 1907, at Brugnasco, to 

 alight on yellow trefoil, knapweed, scabious, and thyme, the latter 

 being repeatedly chosen. But the $■ particularly loves to bask on a 

 damp spot in the hot snn, and many were observed on the date just 

 mentioned, with the $ s of a fine dark-banded form of Plebeius argus 

 (aegon) and Agriades coridon, revelling on the edges of the mud-patches 

 made by runnels trickling across the path just before reaching 

 Brugnasco ; a few were also observed with clouds of Plebeins argyro- 

 gnomon (argus) on the shores of Lake Kitom, near Piora, on August 8th, 

 at some 6,000ft. above the sea, where the most marvellous little hordes 

 of blues we ever witnessed were taking a sun bath on the 

 damp earth. This species is rarely found at the damp spots 

 except in the hot sunshine. Towards the end of the afternoon 

 it loves to sit on the top of a flower-head, grass-culm, or leaf, 

 its wings wide open, its head rather downwards, so that the sun 

 shines fully on all its wings. Next to Agriades coridon the 

 species appears to be the most pugilistic of all the " blues." Not 

 only does it attack the smaller butterflies that seek to join it on the 

 flowers, but on August 18th, 1907, on the Albula Pass, we observed 

 successive specimens attack and drive off Erebia pronoe, E. tyndarus, 

 and Hesperia alveus. When $ s of this species chase one another, they 

 usually keep a considerable distance above the ground and fly so 

 rapidly that the eye can only follow them with difficulty. The $ s 

 are not so pugnacious as the $ s, but they gird very much at being 

 disturbed ; one never sees them at puddles or runnels of water, and, if 

 not busy egg-laying, they may generally be found feeding on flowers, the 

 wings tightly pressed over their backs, or, when the feeding is over, 

 sunning on flowers or herbage. An observation on August 18th, 1907, 

 on the Albula Pass, showed that thyme, scabious, and knapweed were 

 here the most frequented flowers. Sitting with its wings expanded on 

 the top of a flower, its antennae well thrown out at a wide angle in 

 front, it loves to sit with its wings let down a good deal short of 

 horizontally, the forewings well forward, but the hindwings drawn 

 right back so that the inner margin is quite close to the body and a 

 wide angle thus left between the fore and hindwings. When walking 

 it either throws both wings back over its body, the forewings fairly 

 well advanced but the inner margin quite covered by the costa of the 

 hindwings, or it lets them down somewhat but holds them in the same 

 relative position, i.e., it does not draw back the hindwing (which, if it 



