CALLOPHRYS RUBI. 91 



black (?) scales, and sometimes the whole length of the scales, to be 

 devoid of colour (not white), so that sometimes their want of colour 

 showed white, in other aspects the underlying black seen through the 

 transparent scale ends, gave nearly the ordinary tone. These round- 

 ended scales seem to be the androconial ones, as no tasselled or other 

 special forms appear to be mixed with them (Chapman). Blachier 

 observes (in litt.) that he has a $ , taken near Geneva, in which the 

 androconial mark is of a very clear and distinct yellow-ochre colour ; 

 this spot, of which the outline is very marked, contrasts strongly with 

 the ground colour ; a second example also taken near Geneva, has the 

 mark normal on the left side, and of a clear yellow-ochre colour on the 

 right. A $ from Morocco has this spot very black and dense, as also 

 the nervures, and, as the ground colour is of a warm reddish-brown 

 (var. fervida) and slightly iridi scent, this spot and the nervures are very 

 conspicuous. Pierce observes (in litt.) that the ordinary scales of the fore- 

 wings of the $ are four- and five-pointed, -002in. wide, -008 in. long. 

 The 5 has similar scales, but whilst they are of the same width, they 

 are about -006in. long. The androconial patch contains the scales tightly 

 packed together. He further notes (Ent., xxxix., p. 89) that the andro- 

 conial scales in this patch are readily lost, and observes that, in many 

 specimens, selected for the cabinet on account of the conspicuousness 

 of the spot, one will find that all the androconial scales have been shed, 

 leaving the ordinary scales quite perfect. The androconial scales are 

 rounded at the tips, gradually getting broader towards the base, when 

 they round off to the stalk; -004m. long, -OOlin. wide. On the under- 

 side of the wings the scales of both $ s and $ s are four-pointed, with 

 occasional scales that appear to be halved — otherwise almost peculiar 

 to Strymon pruni, S. w-album, etc. 



Variation. — The androconial mark as just noted is one of the most 

 striking characters in ordinary variation, being usually dark, but 

 occasionally quite pale. This, undoubtedly, is what Wheeler refers to 

 (Butts. Switz., p. 46) when he says : " An aberration with the ' bare ' 

 patches on the upperside of forewings ochreous, was taken at Veyrier, 

 by Professor Blachier, who has another (from Morocco) in which they 

 are dark brown (see supra)." There is considerable variation in the size 

 of specimens, apart from sex, and apart from locality, our largest and 

 smallest specimens both coming from Carqueiranne, in the neighbour- 

 hood of Hyeres, and measuring 36mm. and 23mm. respectively, the 

 average, however, falls between 25mm. and 32mm., those below 25mm. 

 we should certainly consider ab. minor, those above 32mm., ab. major. 

 [The measurements are made from centre of thorax to apex of 

 wing, and then doubled.] The ground colour of the upperside 

 varies quite distinctly from a somewhat sooty or black tint = var. 

 suffusa, through fuscous-brown = the type, to a warm reddish -brown 

 = var. fervida, the northern examples being essentially of the 

 fuscous tint, the most southern (from North Africa) of the red- 

 brown. Those from the warmer parts of southern Europe are dis- 

 tinctly intermediate = var. intermedia, with a leaning towards the redder 

 tone of var. fervida, which is, in some instances, very fully reached. There 

 is some little overlapping, and specimens of the real fuscous tint of the 

 northern type rarely occur in the south, whilst those of the red-brown hue 

 of fervida certainly do not appear in the far north. There is also consider- 

 able variation in the development of the tail at the anal angle of the 

 hindwings, and in the tail-like extension of the next nervure. Traces 



