LAMP1DES BOETICUS. 341 



number of eggs in confinement, depositing nine on one unopened 

 flower of Lablab, six of which were together in groups of two. 

 Powell observes (in litt.) that, at Hyeres, the eggs are, as a rule, laid 

 upon the flowers or flower-buds of the selected foodplanfc, many 

 leguminous plants being chosen, although Medicago sativa appears to 

 be a favourite foo<l, on the buds of which females have often been 

 observed ovipositing. In captivity, a female L. boeticus, sleeved over 

 a young lucerne plant in the early part of September, 1902, on which 

 were no flower-buds, laid a number of eggs on the leaves. These eggs 

 hatched, and one larva fed up on the leaves, but failed to pupate ; on 

 October 12th another $ was enclosed over a clover plant; in the pot with 

 the plant there was also a small sponge which had been soaked with syrup 

 to serve as food for the butterfly, and, strange to say, all the eggs she 

 laid were deposited upon this sponge, none on the plant ; probably 

 she considered this syrup-soaked sponge the best substitute for flowers. 

 In 1902 also the species was observed laying eggs amongst the white 

 flowers of a climbing runner-bean, whilst Wisteria also is apparently 

 a foodplant ; and some surprise was occasioned when, on October 10th, 

 1902, a 2 L. boeticus was observed ovipositing on the buds of a 

 climbing convolvulus (Ipomoea scandens) ; an unopened flower, on which 

 she had just deposited an egg, was picked, and she was also seen to lay 

 other eggs out of reach ; the egg hatched, but the larva was not reared 

 owing to the dampness in the tube in which it was placed. In August, 

 1907, at Sebdou, two nearly full-fed larva3 were found in a pod of Colutea 

 arborescens ; here also a $ was observed flying round the bush at the same 

 time seemingly on egg-laying intent. In early October, 1892, Norris ob- 

 served females at Bordighera, in some fields near the mouth of theNervia, 

 depositing their eggs on the flowers and fruit, and more rarely on the 

 leaves of Medicago sativa (Ent., xxvi., p. 89). Baker observed females 

 in Guernsey, on July 27th, 1900, laying eggs on the calyces of the 

 flowers of Colutea arborescens, again on July 19th, 21st, and 22nd, 

 28th, and 31st, 1904, depositing eggs on the same plant growing in his 

 garden ; the females, he said, were always very battered, although quite 

 quick and lively in their movements. Milliere, who really knew very 

 little of the life-history of this species, states (Icon., i., p. 245) 

 that the last females deposit their ova on the branches of Colutea 

 arborescens. He then guardedly adds that "they ought not to hatch 

 until the following year, when the seeds, destined to nourish the young 

 larvae, appear." Newman, however, translates this into the positive 

 statement that "they do not hatch until the following summer," 

 etc., of which, at present, we have no proof whatever, indeed all 

 our information is directly opposed thereto, the egg-stage lasting- 

 everywhere only a few days. Newman's further remark (Brit. 

 Butts., p. 118) that "the eggs of L. boeticus, like those of several, 

 and perhaps all, the British species of the family, do not hatch 

 till the following summer," shows a great want of actual acquaintance 

 with the early stages, not only of L. boeticus, but of the common British 

 "blue" butterflies in nature. True, the eggs of Plebeius aegon and 

 Agriades con/dcm hybernate in the egg-stage, but all the rest as larvae with 

 the exception of Celastrina argioluswhich hybernates as pupa. Newman's 

 record (op. cit., p. 17) that Aricia agestis (astrarcke) and Polgonunatus 

 alexis (icarus) hybernate as eggs, is contradicted by his quotations from 

 Zeller (op. cit., p. 124), Young (op. cit., p. 127), etc., and his quotation 



