i8 93 .] THE BRITISH NATURALIST. 143 



Merian eur. t. 153. 174. Mouff. ins. 106. f. i. Hceffn. ins. 1. t. 4. 

 Robert ic. t. 17. Pet. Gaz. t. 35. f. 1. Raj. ins. 131. n. 11. Jonst. ins. 

 t. 6. f. penult. Geoff. Paris. 2. p. 61. n. 30. B. P. Idas alis ecaudatis 

 coeruleis : posticis fascia terminale rufa ocelari ; subtus pupillis 

 coeruleo argenteis. Fn. Suec. 1075. Raj. ins. 131. n. 12. Papilio parvus, 

 alis supinis pullis cum ordine macularum lutearum ad imum margineum. 

 Roess. ins. app. 1. t. 37. f. 6. 7. Geoff, ins. 2. 63. n. 38. Habitat in 

 Europa, Africa/ Femina est. B." 



Linnaeus' description might do for more species of Blue than one, 

 so I turn to the works he gives reference to, of which I possess seven. 

 Wilks. pap. 63. t. 1. Excellent coloured figures of I cants, Rott. male 

 and female, both of the upper and under side. Roesel, ins. app. 1. t. 

 37. f. 3-4. Capital coloured figures of Icarus, Rott. male and under 

 side. Merian, ins. t. 153-174. Poas figure of hams. Mouffett ins. 

 106. f. 1. Figure too poor to determine. Petiver Gaz. t. 35. f. 1. 

 Figure apparently of Icarus. Ray. ins. 131. n. 11. " The most com- 

 mon small blue Butterfly.- The little blue Argus, Mus. Pet. 318. 

 Diurnarum minimarium quarta Mouffetti. 105." 



Geoffroy, Ins, Paris, n. 61, n. 30, " L. argus, blue, Longuer, 6 lignes, 

 Largeur, 14 lignes ". Pet. Gaz. Papiunculus caeruleus vulgatissimus. 

 Geoffroy gives a long account of it, in. which he states that it is a 

 very common species in fields, and gives an account of its variations. 



Now I turn to Staudinger's Catalogue, and find that he gives as 

 localities for Argus, L. Europ. (exc. Angl. ?) As. min., and that he gives 

 it as being the same species as Argyrognomen, Berg., which is the same 

 as Amphion of Fabricius. Now the latter species does not occur in 

 Britain, and yet Linnaeus refers to Ray's and Petiver's description of 

 a species which they say is the most common blue butterfly, and 

 which is Icarus, Rott., which Staudinger gives as a distinct species from 

 Argus, L. 



The proper synonymy therefore is : — 



Argus, Linn., 1758. 

 Icarus, Rott., 1775. 

 Alexis, W.V., 1776. 

 Argus, Bork., 1789. 



Under the same genus, we find in Staudinger's Catalogue the 

 nonsense names of Bellavgus and Semiargus given by Von Rottemburg 

 in 1775. Now what is the meaning of these names ? Argus was the 

 hundred-eyed guardian of Juno. Belle is a French word signifying 

 beauty, as La Belle Isle. Semi means half. Are these utterly 

 unclassical names, for the sake of one year's priority, to be used 

 instead of the euphonious and classical names of Adonis and Acis ? 

 After all, is one year of such very great and vital importance ? 

 Perhaps some day we shall have such names proposed as Bellmachaon 



