LAMPIDES BCETICA IN GUERNSEY. 



(WITH A BEIEF ACCOUNT OF ITS LIFE HISTORY AND 

 DISTRIBUTION.) 



BY REV. F. E. LOWE. 



Oxe of the chief entomological events in Guernsey of 1899 

 must be reckoned the abundance of L. Boetica. It has been 

 known as an occasional visitor for many years, but never has 

 it been observed in anything like the same numbers. I first 

 became aware of its presence in our midst on September 1st, 

 when I took 1 1 specimens flying round scarlet runners in my 

 own garden. On looking back I am now convinced that the 

 species had been out some days earlier, but, being preoccupied 

 with other matters, I passed it over as the common blue, 

 L. Icarus, of which, with Argiolus, there was also a sprinkling 

 at the same place. Several of the first specimens obtained 

 were worn, but for upwards of a week these delicate little 

 butterflies increased in numbers, and even as late as Friday 

 last, September loth, I counted 10 at one time. But the dull 

 and rough weather of the last few days has I fear destroyed 

 them all. Females were very scarce, not, I think, 5 per cent, 

 of those observed or captured. This is of course the 

 collector's experience with many butterflies, and with most of 

 the Lycoenidce. For instance, this summer I took in a certain 

 locality in the Rhone Valley, 16 males of L. Meleagar, but 

 only one female in three days' diligent hunting ; and a 

 correspondent tells me that he has been taking males of 

 Bcetica in fair numbers at Martigny, but up to the time of 

 writing, not a single female. Of our aristocratic visitors, I 

 caged two or three females, with several males, providing 

 nosegays of mixed leguminous plants, and placed them in the 

 sun, waiting without success for eggs. Mr. Luff, i believe, 

 has been making similar experiments with some live specimens 

 which I sent him, and with the same disappointing result. 

 Unfortunately the " ladies " subjected to this experiment 

 were spoilt as specimens for the cabinet. The range of the 



