148 



BRITISH BUTTERFLIES. 



underside also, so far as the specimens in the British Museum 

 collection are concerned, the white markings of the underside are 

 usually more heavily marked in the $ . The $ has a clearly-defined, 

 oval, androconial spot at the upper corner of the discoidal cell, and 

 near the middle of the costa of the forewings. Pierce says (in lift.) 

 that the ordinary wing- scales of the $ are five-, six-, and (rarely) 

 seven-pointed, slightly wider at the tip, -002in. wide, -005in. long ; 

 those of the 2 similar but larger, -003in. wide, *006in. long. The 

 androconial scales are rounded at the tip, sometimes showing a 

 tendency to make three rough points, broadest in the middle, and 

 forming two shoulders before the stalk, -OOlin. wide, -004in. long. 

 The tendency to shed the androconial scales noticed in Callophrys 

 rubi (antea, p. 91) has not been observed in this species. The 

 ordinary scales of the underside are similar in both sexes, five-pointed, 

 and possess, also, the curious half-scales peculiar to this group. 

 Aurivillius writes (Bidrat) Sv. Vet. Ah. HandL, v., p. 21): "The sexes 

 are similar in colour, but in the $ one sees, at the front corner of the 

 middle cell, a small, elliptical, pale, grey spot, which shows up plainly 

 against the dark ground colour. The area is clearly visible on a 

 desquamated wing, on account of its yellow-brown colour, and the 

 crowded condition of the pits, in which the androconial scales are 

 situated. It includes the front main nervure, from the point where 

 the 8th nervure rises to the corner of the median cell, but the 

 greater part of it lies outside of this, between the bases of the 6th, 

 7th, and 8th nervures, and upon the same. On comparison of these 

 nervures (fig. 13) with the corresponding ones of the $ (fig. 14), one 

 finds that its presence has brought about an entirely different arrange- 

 ment of the 7th nervure, which, in the ? , starts from the front corner 

 of the median cell, but, in the $ , is pushed towards the base of the 

 wing, so that it starts close to the 8th nervure, which, in both sexes, 

 occupies the same position. The scales (fig. 12), which are found in 

 this spot, would attract little attention by themselves, as they have only 

 a slightly peculiar appearance. They are equally broad, with rounded, 

 or a trifle pointed, ends, and complete even edges, the base slightly 

 oblique, and with plain striatums." Pierce takes objection (in lift.) to 

 this statement, observing that they are broadest in the middle, forming 

 two shoulders before the stalk. Aurivillius also notes : " Their length is 

 0*15mm. Although they differ little from the normal scales, it may be 

 looked upon as a fact that they have the same significance as the 

 "feather tuft" scales (" Federbuschschuppen "), and similar structure 

 ("Gebilde"). This is emphasised by their arrangement, and by the 

 fact that they are only found in the S - Similar scales appear on no 

 other part of the wing or body of the $ s, and nowhere on the ? ." 

 Buhl notes the $ s as having " a prominent androconial spot near the 

 centre of the costal edge of the forewing ; the androconia being grey 

 in colour ; the tails of the hindwings shorter in the $ s, much longer 

 in the $ , whilst the latter also have a red spot, bordered externally 

 with black at the anal angle of the hindwing." Both sexes, of course, 

 have this spot. The underside, he says, is browner in the S > whilst 

 the W-mark of the hindwing is more clearly defined in the $ ; he adds 

 that the $ , too, has the dark brown fringes lighter on the underside. 



Variation. — The upperside of this species offers practically no 

 variation in the colour, but there is sometimes considerable differ- 



