438 BRITISH BUTTERFLIES. 



Fixsen says that they do not differ specially from the rittilus of North 

 Germany, but I suspect that Herz's specimens are also referable to 

 auratus, and that Fixsen overlooked the chief distinctive characters, 

 such as the absence of the black discal spot in the centre of the fore- 

 wing of the $ on the upperside, the complete absence of reddish on the 

 dark parts of the hindwings of the ? , and the differently coloured under- 

 side." Leech observes, as already noted (Butts. China, ii., p. 397), that he 

 took auratus " during heavy rain, at rest on stems of coarse grass, in a 

 swampy gully near the monastery of Chang-Do, about 25 miles south 

 of Gensan, in Corea, whilst Alpheraky (Rom. Mem. Lej>., v., p. 103) states 

 that a specimen of this variety was taken in June, 1886, by Potanine, 

 near He-Tchen, in the province of Kansou. He also remarks that 

 the specimens of C. dispar recorded by Fixsen, from Corea, as var. rutilus, 

 are really referable to var. auratus, and that Staudinger (Rom. Mem. Lep., 

 vi., p. 154) considers that var. dahiirica, Graeser, is identical with his 

 var. auratus; so that it would appear that C. dispar is represented in 

 Eastern Asia by the auratus form only, and he thinks that the specimens 

 recorded as P. hippotho'e, by Bremer and Grey (Lep. Noi-d. China, p. 

 10), are probably referable to this form of dispar. According to 

 Elwes (Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond., 1881, p. 887), Bremer records G. vir- 

 gaureae from Pekin, but Leech was unable to find the work in which this 

 record is published. Lang notes (Knt., xxxviii., p. 124) the capture of 

 one $ and one 2 of var. auratus, on August 8th, 1897, at Vladimar 

 Bay, in Kussian Tartary. He says that " these examples exactly tally 

 with Staudinger's diagnosis, ' $ supra impunctatus, $ al. post, nigri- 

 cantibus ; sub. al. post, griseis, non casrulescentibus.' Lang thinks 

 that these are nearer the true British type than the Euro-Asiatic 

 rutilus in general appearance and size, and in the width of the 

 submarginal band on the underside of the hindwings ; but there is only 

 a trace of a discoidal spot in the $ , and an entire absence of the blue 

 basal shading (on the underside) found in true dispar. The hind- 

 wings of the ? , above, more resemble those of $ C. hippotho'e" Our 

 own impression of the auratus we have examined is that the} T are 

 usually very much farther removed from the British dispar than most 

 first brood specimens of rutilus. Asa matter of fact we have examined 

 several European rutilus that we could not possibly separate from 

 some undoubted British dispar. 



Teratological specimens. — The following notes may prove of 

 interest : (1) The upper wings long and acute. (2) The upper short 

 and acute. Both specimens $ s, and taken near Trundle Mere, in 

 Huntingdonshire. They do not vary in any other respect. [The note 

 was accompanied by a sketch in which the outline of the smaller insect 

 was drawn within the outline of the larger, these outlines exhibiting 

 a very obvious degree of variation.] (Dale, Ann. Map. Nat. Mist., vii., 

 p. 60). (3) $ . — Eight side normal, the forewing of the left side 

 curved inwards, directly below the apex, on the outer margin ; the 

 outer margin of the left hindwing also curved inwards, tending to 

 form a little tail at the anal angle (Tutt coll.). (4) $ . — Left side 

 almost normal, just a little shortened, giving an appearance of 

 stumpiness, the right forewing slightly hollowed at the middle of the 

 outer margin (Tutt coll.). 



Egglaying. — The eggs are laid singly, or in twos, threes, or fours, 

 on the underside of a leaf of Jlumc.r hydrolapathum. When the larva 



