46 
This is the case in Callophrys and Thestor. Another peculiarity 
of the Theclids is in the ancillary appendages. The JEdoeayus is very 
long, and this is related with a very long chitinous tube in the 8th 
abdominal segment of the female to receive it. 
Another Callophryid character not uncommon in the Theclids, 
absent in the blues, is the existence of an androconial brand on the 
male forewings. This is far from universal in the Theclids, but I 
cannot call to mind an instance of its presence in any “ blue.” 
I ought, perhaps, to have alluded to the habit as to foodplants of 
T. rubi (and Thestor ballus), as affording indications of affinity with 
the blues, that is their preference for papilionaceous plants, and in 
the case of T. rubi, especially for the flowers. 
The blues, as a group, are certainly associated by all of us with 
papilionaceous plants, whilst the Theclids are not, but it must be 
admitted that the number of species on which we found the general¬ 
isation is possibly inadequate. A great many exotic blues, however, 
patronise this natural order, and I don’t recollect any other Thecla 
that does so. 
It is, perhaps, appropriate for one to introduce the subject of 
Theda rubi, since I have lately been considering it in several 
aspects in connection with T. avis, the new species of the genus that I 
was lucky enough to capture and recognise. Still there is some 
difficulty in finding anything novel about it or requiring discussion, 
since it has been so recently presented to us with so much detail, to 
which I have added my share, in Tutt’s 9th Yol. of the British 
Lepidoptera. 
Still, there are a few points in which there is reason to suppose 
that more light might be thrown, and in any case, it is always a most 
welcome little butterfly, as being one of our early spring species. 
We probably know nearly all that is to be known about its 
variation, regarded simply as variation, but its variation in relation to 
its distribution is a subject on which our knowledge is, to say the 
least, very crude. Beyond a general idea that the blacker forms are 
more northern, the redder more southern -forms, little or nothing has 
been formulated. Last spring I took at Amelie-les-Bains, a number 
of specimens, all of which belonged more or less to the reddish var. 
fervida, but a few weeks later at Yernet-les-Bains, at 1000ft. higher, 
but only some twenty miles off as the crow flies, all the specimens I 
saw were of dark, that is northern, facies. 
Then as to the spotting of the underside, what advantage accrues 
to the insect from having these spots fully developed and conspicuous, 
or under what circumstances is it more useful to the insect to have 
the spots reduced to one only, or even have them entirety absent. We 
know that one of these two extremes often predominate in particular 
localities, that sometimes the local race is fairly uniform, in other 
places no two specimens are quite alike. Col. Swinhoe showed me a 
series taken at Arcachur, in which the white spots were well, even 
strongly, developed, and in nearly all the black scales that accompany 
the white spots were especially conspicuous. 
I may note before passing on that these dark scales are always 
present in rubi (except, of course, when the spots are absent), yet I 
have seen them referred to in none of the published descriptions of 
the insect that I have looked up. 
xix. 
