234 



BRITISH BUTTERFLIES. 



joined to $ s by a system that may be termed mere guesswork, and the 

 life-histories of the species are an absolute blank. One wonders why it 

 works out that these beautiful butterflies live at one end of the 

 Palasarctic region, whilst the students of them live at the other. 



How many natural genera "these beautiful butterflies will fall into, 

 when one is able to pair off certainly the sexes of all of them, and 

 know the details of their life-histories, etc., one cannot even guess. 

 At present, we can only add a diagnosis of the genus Bitlnjs (based on 

 quercus as type), for which we are again indebted to Mr. Bethune-Baker, 

 and leave it to future entomologists to eliminate those species which 

 cannot be united in the same little section as quercus, and place them 

 then in different genera. This diagnosis is as follows : 



Head moderate in size, clothed with longish rough hairs, interspersed with 

 shorter finer ones. Face slightly curved, almost level with the eyes, hairy. Eyes 

 largish, prominent, hairy. Antennas of moderate length, inserted in a scaled socket 

 at the apex, almost over the eyes, ending in a very gradually tapered club (club 

 decidedly longer than in Callophrys). Palpi slight, porrect, not as long as the face, 

 fringed with hairs below, end segment short. Patagia short, narrow, tapering 

 rapidly, hairs fine, erect. Primaries broad, less than a third longer than broad, 

 costa evenly arched, more sharply arched at the extreme base, termen nearly 

 straight. Secondaries large, truncate at apex, slightly scalloped to the tail. 

 Keuration. — Primaries, vein 2 from a quarter before the lower angle, 3 from below 

 the lower angle, 4 from the angle, 5 from above the middle of the discocellulars, 

 6, 7, and 8 stalked, 6 from just beyond the upper angle, 7 and 8 close to the apex, 

 9 absent, 10 from close to the end of the cell, 11 from beyond the middle of the 

 cell. Cell broad, fairly even in width, fully half the length of the wing. Secon- 

 daries, two internal veins, vein 2 from well before the angle, 3 and 4 from the 

 angle, 5 from about the middle of the discocellulars, 7 from the cell, 8 highly 

 curved upwards to the costa, then suddenly following a parallel course just below 

 the costa. Legs, <? , with tarsi and tibiae of equal length, the front tarsi not fully 

 developed, terminating almost as the other legs, but without the claws ; in the ? 

 the tarsi terminate as the other legs. Mid pair tibia? with a short pair of spurs, 

 hind legs tibiae with no spurs. Genitalia. — Clasps fairly ample, evenly curved 

 from the base on the inner side up to the lobe at the extremity, where the curve is 

 sharper ; basal side short, slightly curved, outer side waved, terminating at each 

 apex in a sharp tooth, the upper apex suddenly angled and then curved and 

 extended into the narrow lobe. Girdle erect, slight, nearly as long as the very 

 ample tegumen, of which it forms the lower part. Tegumen broad, hood-shaped, 

 of equal width, terminating at its lower. outer extremities into strong falces, which 

 are coupled on in a broad spatulale shape, which suddenly tapers off into strong, 

 curved, rather short hooks. Penis-sheath large, broad, very slightly expanding. 

 Orifice suddenly expanding, serrated above and below. 



Bithys quercCs, Linne. 



Synonymy. — Species : Quercus, Linn., " Syst. Nat.," 10th ed., p. 482 (1758); 

 "Faun. Suec," 2nd ed., p. 283 (1701); Mull., "Faun. Frid.," p. 30 (1764); 

 Linn., " Syst. Nat.," 12th ed., p. 788 (1767) ; Fab., " Sys. Ent.," p. 521 (177o) ; 

 Scbil'f., " Schmett. Wien.," 1st ed., p. ISO (1775) ; Fuess., " Yerz.," p. 31 (177')); 

 Harris, " Eng. Lep.," p. 6 (1775); Mull., " Zool. Dan. Prod.," p. 30 (1770); 

 Esp., "Schmett. Eur.," p. 262, pi. xix., figs. 2a-C (cum larv. et pup.) (17771 : 

 Bergs., " Noinen.," p. 58, pi. xxxvii., ii'_ r s. 1-5 (177S| ; Goeze, " Ent. Beit ," p. 10 

 (1780) ; Fab., '« Spec. Ins.," p. L18 (1781) ; Geoff., " Ent. Paris.," p. 243 (1785) ; 

 Sohneid., " Sys. r.csch.," p. 221 (1785); Fab., "Mant. Ins.." p. Oil (17S7); 

 Bork., "Sys. Besch.," i., pp. L36, 265 (1788); de VilL, " Car. Linn. Ent. Fn. 

 Suec," p. 63 (1789); Lang, "Verz.," i., p. 47 (1789); Brahm, "Ins.-Kal.," 

 p. 375 (1791) : Sohwarz, " Raup.-Kal.," p. 17 (1791); Fab., "Ent. Syst./' iii., 

 pt. 1, p. 278 (1793); Bork., "Ehein. Mag.," i., p. 295 (1793); Lewin, " Ins. 

 Gt. Brit.," p. 90, pi. xliii., figs. 1-5 (1795); Bb., " Eur. Schmett.," pi. Ixxiii., 

 figs. :h;'.i-:57<> (17'.i".U; text, p. 5(5 {rirc. 1805); "Baupen," Pap. [., Gens A, c, d, 

 fi»s. 2a-c [rirc. 1*00); 111., "Scbnutt. Wien..'" 2nd ed., p. 279 (1801); Scbrank, 

 "Faun. Loiea," ii., p. 219 (1801); Haw., "Lep. Brit.," p. 38 (1803), etc. 



