96 POLYOMMATUS (lYC^NA) ARGIOLUS. 



flowers and young leaves, or on young ivy leaves 

 through June (Mr. Harwood of Colchester informs me 

 that he has also found them on the flowers of Bhamnus 

 frangula) ; the second flight of butterflies is in July ;* 

 the second brood of larvae feed in August and Sep- 

 tember on the flower buds and young leaves of ivy ; 

 the winter is passed in the pupa state. 



The egg of Argiolus is very much like that of Alexis, 

 except that it is rather larger, being circular, flattened, 

 and rather depressed in the centre ; the whole surface 

 — except just a central spot — is overlaid with raised 

 reticulation, with little knobs at the angles ; the shell 

 is pale bluish-green, with the raised reticulation whitish. 

 The larva escapes by making a hole near the centre of 

 the upper surface. 



The young larva in the spring is something like that 

 of a Zygcena in shape, plump and hairy (as was noticed 

 both by Mr. Hellins and myself), even while quitting 

 the egg-shell, with a greenish- white body and dark head 

 and very slow in its movements ; but the summer larva 

 I found for the first few hours to be very active, walk- 

 ing about with almost a looping progression, and much 

 more slender than that of any Polyommatus (Lyccena) at 

 present observed. t The head moderately large, rough 

 and prominent, of a chocolate-brown colour ; the body 

 shining, very pale translucent-greenish, and apparently 

 naked. Looking at this unusual form for a newly 

 hatched Lyccena larva, one tried to account for it from 

 the heat of the weather, and by thinking it was better 

 fitted to pierce the hard buds of the ivy just formed, 

 than if it were at first more the shape of its congeners. 



* [Or August.— H. T. S.] 



f [Knowing the very great care and attention which were used by 

 Mr. Buckler in his studies of growing larvae, I feel a certain amount of 

 hesitation in saying that I think he here made a mistake. This 

 account of the young summer larva was drawn up from one example, 

 and I believe this must have been the larva of some Tortrix introduced 

 with the food. Subsequent investigations, as shown in the text, failed 

 to discover any difference between the newly-hatched larvae of the two 

 broods of Argiolus, although when this was pointed out to Mr. Buckler 

 his confidence in the observation he had recorded remained unshaken. 

 —J. H., 28, 7, 85.] 



