224 BRITISH BUTTERFLIES. 



Schilde describes rather vaguely an ab. intermedia, as intermediate 

 between the type and ab. tar as. The following appear to be the best 

 known forms of the species : — 



1. The forewings with enlarged spots, the hindwings with reduced spots (often 

 only the discal showing) = ab. taras, Bergstrasser. 



2. The forewings typical, the hindwings with reduced spots, as m taras = ah. 

 intermedia, Schilde. 



3. The forewings and hindwings with the white spots not especially enlarged 

 or reduced = malvae, Linne. 



4. The forewings typical, the hindwings with the white spots united to form a 

 complete central band = ab. fasciata, Tutt. 



5. The forewings and hindwings both with distinctly reduced white spots (some 

 quite obsolete) = ab. restricta, n. ab. 



6. Rather larger than the type, the white spots well-developed, and contrasting 

 with the black ground colour = var. australis, n. var. 



7. Larger than the type, the white spots contrasting strongly with the very 

 black ground colour, the hindwings with a well-developed transverse band of spots 

 = var. melotis, Dup. 



8. Larger than the type, the forewings greenish-grey, the white spots of a pure 

 tint, one spot in the centre of the row on the hindwings extending towards base = 

 var. hypoleucos, Led. 



9. The ground colour of the wings brown, instead of black, the markings 

 typical = ab. brunnea, n. ab. 



The undersides are very variable. The colour of the forewings 

 beneath is grey, of the hindwings grey, ochreous-grey, olivaceous- 

 grey, brown-grey, or brown, with the white spots of the upper- 

 side enlarged and increased; in the $ the tint is usually dull 

 greyish-ochreous, in the ? the ochreous becomes browner, but 

 the colour is, in both sexes, often of a bright ruddy hue ( = ab. 

 rufa, n. ab.) ; the peculiar colours of the underside are exceedingly 

 useful to the species, for they render the butterfly most inconspicuous 

 as it sits on a dried flowering stem of grass, its almost unfailing 

 habit when at rest. Raynor says that the most interesting form that 

 he has taken, is that in which the usual dull chocolate of the underside 

 of the hindwing is replaced by a bright red chocolate, imparting a very 

 handsome appearance to the specimen. There are very lew references 

 in our literature to the variation of this species, apart from ab. taras, 

 and these are too general to be of much service, e.g., an intermediate 

 form captured in South Devon, in 1902 (Rogers) ; one large example 

 approaching H. alveus in size, taken near Bude (Rothschild) ; several 

 red-brown forms at Ringwood (Fowler), etc. Oberthiir writes (in litt.) 

 that he has, in his collection, a specimen in which the ground colour 

 of the wings is greyish-white, both above and below, in place of the 

 black = ab. albina, n. ab. Mrs. Nicholl states that she has three 

 examples of a small very brown form, taken high in the mountains 

 of Aragon, about mid-July. Frey notes that, on the Albula, 

 he got a $ , the upperside of which corresponds exactly with that 

 of var. hypoleucos, Led., whilst the underside of the hindwings presents 

 the usual markings. Hilf records the capture of very dark examples at 

 Ubli, in the Balkans, in July, 1903. The alpine form of Central 

 Europe, described by Duponehel as melotis, with the black ground 

 colour and white spots contrasting distinctly, and with brownish 

 underside of the hindwings with the usual markings, is often united 

 with the eastern (Syrian) greenish-grey, conspicuously white- 

 spotted hypoleucos, Led., which further has the underside of the 

 hindwings pale greenish-yellow. We think these two forms should 



