198 



BRITISH BUTTERFLIES. 



more vivid browinsh-yellow. Graeser observes (Berl. Ent. Zeits., 1888, 

 p. 72) that the two § s which he captured at Pokrofka, in Arnurland, 

 have a wing expanse of 26mm. and 28mm. only, and are, therefore, a 

 little less than the average mid-European examples ; the fulvous spots 

 on the outer margin of the hindwings are, in both specimens, of a 

 duller tint, and edged less distinctly than $ s from Thuringia ; the 

 spots also do not extend to the inner angle of the forewing. Similarly, 

 the specimens in the British Museum collection, from the Altai, are no 

 larger than ordinary European examples, and are little marked with 

 fulvous, the 2 s, even, having scarcely any on the forewings. On the 

 other hand, there are, in this collection, large specimens, two $ s and 

 two 2 s, of the major form, from Bagovitza, Podolia, the $ s, however, 

 with little fulvous, and one 2 also with none on the forewings, the 

 other with more (four fulvous spots). From Sutschan, also, come 

 large, well- developed examples, with three yellowish spots on the 

 hindwings, and three only on the forewings ; the tails well- developed ; 

 the blue spot fairly large. Fixsen records a $ from Corea, 

 and, comparing it with European examples, says (Rom. Mem., i., 

 p. 279) that it has a sharper design, the submarginal row of fulvous 

 spots on the forewings more distinct, and edged internally with white, 

 whilst the series of black spots bounding the broader reddish-brown 

 band of the hindwings is also more strongly marked with white ; 

 length of forewing 18mm. Esper figures, somewhat roughly, a 

 specimen of our ab. excessa, in his Eur. Sckmett., i., pi. xxxix. (supp. 

 xv.), fig. la, as an ab. of pruni (and also under the same name, fig. lb, 

 a quite distinct species, which he later, op. cit., p. 353, named ilicis). 

 The fig. la shows four wide yellow patches on the forewings, and three 

 lunules on the hindwings ; on the underside are three yellow patches, 

 with the usual inner black spots, on the forewings, the rest almost 

 normal, except that all white parts are made yellow. He writes 

 (op. cit., p. 353) : " P. pruni, variet., pi. xxxix., fig. la. — Underside 

 precisely like that of the type, only the upperside of the forewings has 

 a broad yellow patch, as in the $ of P. betulae. Very often this 

 consists rather of spots placed near together, which are here broader, 

 and form somewhat of a band. The colour is red- or orange-yellow. 

 They are wanting in the $ ." Leech observes (Butts. China and 

 Japan, p. 362) that there was a $ from Yesso, in Pryer's collection, 

 which is much suffused with pale fulvous on the upper surface, and 

 is figured in Rhopalocera Nihonica. We believe this example is now 

 in the British Museum collection, and if so, one suspects it to be an 

 example of 8. viera. We have a bleached $ , the ground colour 

 almost entirely of a pale fawn tint = ab. pallida, n. ab. Of the banded 

 ? form, there appears to be a description by Hufnagel, dating back 

 to 1766. This reads as follows : 



Papilio ptorsas. — Dark brown, with an orange stripe on all four wings, 

 and two points on the hindwings. Underside light olive-brown, with a white 

 transverse stripe and blue spot. Larva pale green, with some white stripes, the 

 head shiny yellow, without spines. Lives singly (or " solitarily ") on sloe and plum. 

 Larva in June, imago July, of the " third size," rare (Hufnagel, Berl. Mag., ii., 

 p. 68, 1766). 



It was referred to this species by von Rottemburg as prorsa 

 (Naturf., vi., p. 6), and by Ochsenheimer (Die Schmrtt., i., pt. 2, 

 p. Ill) as prorsas. Gillmer has just recently sent us a descrip- 



