394 BRITISH BUTTERFLIES. 



of pseudargiolus, from lucia to piasus, are merely races of G. argiolus. This 

 has since been proved to be so by the identical structure of the genitalia. 

 There would appear to be some seasonal variation in size noticeable, 

 e.g., Oldaker notes that examples of the second-brood, taken near St. 

 Leonards, in August, 1902, were larger than those taken in the spring 

 of the same year at Dorking ;" whilst Edwards states that, at Great 

 Malvern, the spring specimens are larger and brighter than the 

 autumnal ones. Aigner-Abafi states that, in Hungary, the first brood 

 expands from 30mm. -35mm., the second beingsmaller, i.e., from. 23mm.- 

 34mm., and Steinert that the second-brood examples are smaller in the 

 Kingdom of Saxony. Swinton states that some examples taken in June, 

 1878, at Turin, were rather larger than British specimens, apart from 

 season. Davis notes the capture of one very small female at Darenth, 

 only lin. in expanse, with the wings more suffused with black than 

 usual. Jones, a ? as small as C. minima, about 22mm., taken in Majorca. 

 Eeverdin gives (in litt.), the maximum and minimum measurements 

 (from apex to apex), in his collection (chiefly Swiss) as : maximum $ and 

 2 =30mm., minimum $ = 22mm., J = 25mm. Sommer notes (Iris, 

 x., p. 263) a female, taken in Zitschewig, May 5th, 1897, with wings 

 25mm. in length, 8mm. wide, whilst another taken on the heath near 

 Dresden, July 21st, 1896, measured 34mm. in length and was 11mm. 

 broad. He further notes that, in this district, the spring examples are 

 always small, the larger specimens belonging to the summer emergence, 

 a remark exactly opposed to that of Aigner-Abafi, Steinert, Oldaker, etc. 

 (siqira). We would call all those examples of 25mm. and less ab. minor, 

 n. ab., and those of more than 30mm., ab. major, n. ab. Mathew 

 records that the females taken at Canea and Suda Bay, in June, 

 1897, are both large and very strongly marked. Tetley observes (in 

 litt.) that a £ taken in May, 1901, near Newtown, has a black spot on 

 the fore wings between 2 and 3 (the lower branches of the cubital), 

 and a very small one above this, between 3 and 4 (the upper branches 

 of the cubital). We may call this ab. punctata, n. ab. The Palsearctic 

 examples in the British Museum coll., may be roughly grouped by 

 their upperside variation as follows : — 



Males. 



1. Warm mauve = lilacina, n. ab. 



2. Azure blue —argiolus, Linn. 



3. Violet-blue = clara, n. ab. 



Females. 



1. Mauve — forewings with narrow marginal and costal (to 



discoidal lunule) black borders ; hindwings 



spotted marginally =lilacina, n. ab. 



la. ,, forewings with broad marginal and costal 

 borders ; hindwings fairly clear, spotted 

 marginally =lilacina-lata, n. ab. 



1&. ,, with broad marginal and costal borders ; hind- 

 wings suffused and spotted marginally = lilacina-sujfusa, n. ab. 



2. Azure-blue — otherwise as in 1 —argiolus, L. 



2a. ,, ,, ,, la — argiolus-lata, n. ab. 



2b. ,, ,, ,, 1& — argiolus-suffusa, n. ab. 



3. Pallid washed-out violet, borders brownish-black — 



otherwise as in 1 —pauper, n. ab. 



3a. Pallid washed-out violet, borders brownish-black — 



otherwise as in la =pauper-lata, n. ab. 



36. Pallid washed-out violet, borders brownish-black — 



otherwise as in lb =pauper-suffusa, n. ab. 



4. Bright " hylas-" or violet-blue — otherwise as in 1 =clara, n. ab. 



4a. ,, ,, ,, ,, ,, ,, la = clara-lata, n. ab. 



