KUMICIA PHL^AS. 



335 



that no correspondence exists between climate and the degree of 

 perfection of the spots. He illustrates this by noting that, in his 

 collection, the following facts are observable : 



1. With 3-5 well- developed blue spots. — One example from Lapland ; 1 from 

 Sardinia (spring brood) ; 1 from Corsica (summer brood) ; 1 from Lindau (summer 

 brood) ; 3 from Japan (summer brood) ; 8 from Japan (spring brood) ; 2 from 

 Naples (reared at Freiburg at a room temperature) ; 3 from pupae developed at 

 7°C.-10°C. 



2. With slight indications of blue spots, i.e., exldbitmg blue scales in fewer number 

 and more scattered. — One example from Lapland ; 3 from Sardinia (spring brood) ; 

 10 from Genoa (summer brood) ; 3 from Greece (summer brood) ; 2 from Berlin ; 

 4 from Lindau; 12 from Leipzig (pupae at 27°C.-31°C.) ; 28 from Japan (summer 

 brood) ; 14 from Japan (spring brood) ; 14 from Naples (reared at Naples, summer 

 brood) ; 23 from Naples (reared at Freiburg at room temperature), 6 from Naples 

 (pupae developed at 7°C.-10°C.). 



3. Without a trace of blue. — One example from Genoa (eleus) ; one from 

 Greece (eleus) ; 3 from Lindau (summer brood); 8 from Leipzig (kept at 24°C.-30°C.); 

 7 from Japan (spring brood). 



The largest and most beautiful blue spots are possessed by some 

 Japanese specimens of the summer and spring broods, one Sardinian, 

 and one Lapland, example. The blue spots are consequently individual 

 variations, formed everywhere under the most varied temperatures, 

 often appearing only slightly, and, still more frequently, only suggestively, 

 as single blue scales. Weismann also notes, relative to the red band 

 on the underside of the hindwing, that there are, on the grey-brown 

 ground colour of the underside of the hindwings of phlaeas, brick-red 

 lines along the outer margin, referred to in books as " confluent 

 reddish lunules"; they are, in reality, very often distinct as separate 

 lunules in cells 1-5, but they are frequently also joined together in a 

 line running in an almost zigzag shape, from which the red spreads 

 inwards to a narrow washed-out band. This red marking varies, but, 

 as it seems, independently of temperature ; and is local to the extent 

 that individuals of a particular district all seem to present an almost 

 equal development of it, e.g., 72 Japanese specimens, of the summer 

 brood, have a broad and vivid brick-red coloured band, in opposition 

 to the specimens from all other countries with which he was able 

 to compare. Felder founded, indeed, his chinensis on this peculiarity. 

 Specimens from north Germany always have only a narrow red 

 line or disconnected marginal lunules, which are sometimes 

 strongly, sometimes slightly, brick-red ; the Lapland specimens also 

 have these lines very distinct, just as the south German and Berlin 

 specimens, and also most specimens of eleus from Greece, Corsica, and 

 Genoa ; sometimes, indeed, the red is very dull, yet never entirely 

 missing. The lunules, which are the feeblest in colour, and most 

 washed-out in marking, are those of the Neapolitan specimens, which 

 were subjected to the cold as pupa? ; and, so far, consequently, the 

 formation of this character depends upon the temperature, etc. We 

 have already explained (Ent. Record, vi., pp. 185-186) what we 

 consider the causes of the colour-variations produced artificially in this 

 species. The attempt to produce a " tail " in the summer brood of R. 

 phlaeas, is also commented on by Weismann. He says that a short tail 

 on nervure 2 of the hindwing, and a pointed prolongation of the 

 anal angle is given as a character of eleus, yet it is not confined to this 

 form, but is also occasionally, though more rarely, present in the pure 

 red-gold form. He suggests that the tails can be arranged in three 



