THE YOUNG 



NATURA.LIST. 



881 



BUTTERFLIES. 



44. POLYOMMATUS ^GON. 

 The Silver-studded Blue— This pretty 



little butterfly passes the winter in the egg 

 state, which hatch in March. The larva is 

 full fed by the end of June, and the butter- 

 fly may be taken in July. It is widely dis- 

 tributed in Britain, and may often be passed 

 over for the Common Blue, which is on the 

 wing at the same time. It is smaller than 

 the first brood of the Common Blue, and 

 has no spots on the underside of the fore- 

 wing, between the central spot and the base 

 of the wing. The larva is only known with 

 any certainty to feed on bird's-foot, but is 

 said also to feed on bird's-foot trefoil, but 

 perhaps the similarity of the name have 

 misled writers copying from one book to 

 another. 



45. POLYOMMATUS MEDON. 

 The Brown Argus.— A widely distribu- 

 ted butterfly, known in Scotland as the 

 Scotch White Spot, from the disc spot 

 which is black in southern specimens, being 

 white in Scotland. It appears in May or 

 June, and the second brood is on the wing 

 in August. In Scotland, however, there 

 appears to be but one brood. The larva 

 feeds on the Sun Cistus, and hybernates 

 very small. It is said also to feed on the 

 heron's bill, but it seems doubtful if it really 

 does so in this country. 



46. POLYOMMATUS ALEXIS. 

 The Common Blue.— An abundant but- 

 terfly everywhere, appearing first of May, 

 and continuing on the wing till quite late in 

 the year. It is found in lanes and meadows, 

 on railway and other banks, &c., &c. The 

 larva feeds on bird's-foot trefoil, and may 

 be found almost all through the summer, 

 for there appears to be a succession of 

 broods. The larva hybernates small. 



47. POLYOMMATUS ADONIS. 

 The Clifton Blue.— This, the prettiest 



of all the blues, is only found in the South 



of England, and there principally on chalk 

 or limestone. It appears on the wing in 

 May, and again in August, The larvae from 

 the second brood hybernate to feed up in 

 the spring. The food plant does not seem 

 accurately known. The only specific plant 

 we have seen named is Hippocrepis comosa, 

 the tufted horse-shoe vetch, a plant confined 

 in this country to the southern counties. 



48. POLYOMMATUS CORYDON. 



The Chalk Hill Blue. — This butterfly 

 is more widely distributed than the last, 

 and does not appear to be so exclusively an 

 insect of calcareous soils. It does not occur 

 in Scotland or Ireland. It appears on the 

 wing in May, but though it is a common 

 butterfly we really do not know, from all 

 the books to which we have access, whether 

 it is single or double brooded. It seems to 

 fly as late as August, which it scarcely 

 could do unless there were two broods. 

 The larva feeds on vetches, and passes the 

 winter small. 



49. POLYOMMATUS ACIS. 

 The Mazerine Blue. — A very rare 

 species, and excedingly local where it 

 occurs. It flies often with the common 

 blue, and is so like that insect in appear- 

 ance, that only a practised eye could 

 detect the differences on the wing. 

 Acis, however, is distinctly darker in hue 

 than Alexis. It would appear to be single 

 brooded only, and may be found in June 

 and July. We do not know if the larva has 

 ever been taken. 



BRITISH BIRDS, THEIR 

 NESTS AND EGGS. 



By S. L. MosLEY. 



28. BLACKBIRD. 



Turdus merula. Linn. 

 Merula (L.)— a blackbird. 

 Size. — Length, 10 in.; expanse, ift 3 in. 



