DARK GREEN FRITILLARY 
103 
are distributed over the wing. The hind wing is almost 
similar in pattern. 
Under Side. The colour of the fore wing is a rather paler 
fulvous, and is ochreous along the outer margin, apex and 
costa. The apex is ornamented with silver spots surrounded 
by chocolate-red ; the rest of the wing is similar in pattern to 
the upper side. The hind wing is chocolate-red and light 
ochreous, very beautifully adorned with brilliant spots of an 
opalescent lustre. These spots are of various shapes and mostly 
very large, especially the central one. There is a sub-marginal 
series of seven deep chocolate spots, each with a small central 
silver dot. The whole pattern and colouration is of great beauty. 
The sexes are alike, excepting that the female is usually 
larger and has the basal area of the wings more suffused with 
greenish-olive. 
Life of Imago. Probably the normal life of A. lathonia is 
about one month. 
Aberration. A. lathonia is subject to occasional aberration. 
On September 21st, 1883, a specimen, with all the central 
markings much enlarged and confluent, was taken at Dover. 
Genus ARGYNNIS, Fabricius, 1807 
THE DARK GREEN FRITILLARY 
Argynnis aglaia (Linn., 1758). 
(Plate I, Frontispiece) 
Haunts. The favourite haunts of this handsome Fritillary 
are rough hill-sides, downs, moors, and wild open country 
generally, especially in coastal districts, but it also frequents 
the open spaces and outskirts of woods and forest land where 
Thistles abound. Its flight is wild, powerful, and rapid, 
enabling it to fly with apparent ease over the most wind¬ 
swept country. I have often watched it flying up the sides 
of hills during windy weather for the apparent reason of 
making its way to the exposed summits, to career to and fro 
in the full force of the wind. Its wild and rapid flight makes 
it one of the most difficult of our butterflies to capture. 
