20 BUTTERFLIES 



PLATE X 

 THE CLIFTON BLUE (2) 



This is one of the loveliest of all our British 

 butterflies, for the upper side of the wings of 

 the male is of the brightest and most vivid blue, 

 like that of the sky on a glorious summer's day, 

 with a white line running along the front margin, 

 and a black line along the hind one. The female, 

 however, is not nearly so handsome, her wings 

 being smoky brown all over, with only just a 

 few blue scales on the parts nearest to the body. 

 The lower surface of the wings, both in the male 

 and the female, is greyish-brown, with a number 

 of black spots edged with white. 



If you want to see this beautiful butterfly, you 

 must hunt for it either in May or in August on 

 the chalky downs in the south of England, and 

 in the Isle of Wight. But it is one of the " local " 

 butterflies, and although you may find it quite 

 commonly in one or two places, you may search 

 for it elsewhere for years, and yet never meet 

 with it at all. 



The caterpillar of the Clifton Blue, or "Adonis 

 Blue," as it is sometimes called, is green, with 

 yellow streaks. It feeds on trefoils and vetches, 

 and other low plants. 



