342 BRITISH BUTTERFLIES. 



concerning Cupido minima (alsus) from Gedge (op. tit., p. 124), further 

 contradicts the general statement above quoted, so far as it relates to 

 this species. Kershaw notes that, in Hong-Kong, 2 L. boeticus lays 

 its eggs singly on flower-buds and young shoots of Vigna sinensis. 

 Anderson states that, in Victoria (Australia), the egg is deposited on 

 the flowers of various leguminous plants. 



Ovum. — The egg is of ordinary Lycaenid form, i.e., having a flat top 

 and bottom with nearly perpendicular but rounded sides. It is one 

 of the smallest Lycaenid eggs, being barely, if at all, larger than that 

 of Cupido minima. The egg, when laid, is green, or yellowish-green, 

 but soon becomes white, though, through a lens, a greenish tint can al- 

 ways be detected, the green contents being seen through the thin bottoms 

 of the cells of the network. The greenness, when newly-laid, depends, 

 no doubt, on the translucency of the white coating which is, when 

 first laid, damp, and without porosities filled with air. Its dimen- 

 sions are — maximum width, 0-46mm., width of flat top, 0-40mm., of the 

 bottom, 044mm., height, # 20mm. ; the micropylar area or depression 

 O06mm. across, cells of network about O03mm. in diameter. It has 

 the usual character of the points of intersection of the network being- 

 raised into a knot round the sides and along the margins of the top. 

 The flat tops of these Lycaenid eggs are probably achieved, to some extent, 

 by the greater thickness of the adventitious coat and the greater height 

 of the knobs round the margin, the egg proper, beneath it, sloping a 

 little from the centre to the margin of the top. The cells of the net- 

 work look larger than on most Lycaenid eggs ; this is especially true of 

 those round the micropylar depression, which are nearly as large as 

 the others, and very nearly of the same form, showing very little of the 

 radial stretching and circumferential narrowing of the cells, so marked 

 in some species. The cells are very irregular in form (and a little in 

 size), polygonal, often quadrangular. Here and there three or four 

 cells follow a line of spiral (engine-turning) on top, but this seems 

 rather accidental than really related to the obvious spiral arrange- 

 ment on some eggs. There are about four cells to be crossed in 

 drawing a straight line on the top from the micropylar area to the 

 margin, about six, if a slightly spiral course be taken, i.e., going from 

 one cell to that which is the next furthest out, rather beside than 

 beyond it. The cells of the micropylar area are large, the central 

 rosette does not suggest a rosette by any means as much as usual, and 

 consists of five cells, not specially pointed centrally ; outside these are 

 two or three rows of similar cells, the cells being 0-Olmm. in 

 diameter (Chapman). 



Comparison of eggs of Lampides bceticus and Langia telicanus. — 

 Comparing the eggs of L. boeticus and L. telicanus with a strong hand- 

 lens, it seems to be very difficult to discriminate between them ; both 

 have prominences at intersection of network, and these lie in an engine- 

 turned pattern on top (smaller centrally). Those in L. boeticus seem 

 larger and whiter (because larger ?), especially round the margins, 

 where they are in both cases larger than on top. Both the eggs com- 

 pared were laid about 12.20 p.m., at Tuy, July 18th, 1906 (Chapman). 



Habits of larva. — Reaumur first reared this species August 14th- 

 16th, 1736, from larvae sent from Lucon by Baron (M6m., ii., pp. 

 481-2). The larvae were feeding in the pods of Colutea, of which they 

 were eating the mature seeds ; the larvae themselves were of an 

 olive-brown colour, the dorsum of the body marbled with reddish 



