Family LYCAENIDAE 
Genus COSMOLYCE, Toxopeus , 1927 
THE LONG-TAILED BLUE 
Cosmolycc boeticus (Linn., 1767). 
(Plate XVIII, facing page 205) 
T HE Long-tailed Blue is one of the rarest migrants to 
the British shores. During the past seventy-four years, 
as far as I can ascertain, only eighteen specimens have 
been captured in Britain. The first recorded examples were 
two captured on the Brighton Downs on August 4th and 5th, 
1859, also another on August 4th the same year at Christ¬ 
church. Nineteen years later one was captured at Freshwater, 
Isle of Wight, on August 23rd, 1878. One at Aldwick, Sussex, 
on September 12th, 1880. One on October 2nd, 1882, near 
Bournemouth. In 1893 three were captured — one at Beckley, 
Sussex, on August 28th ; one at Dartford on September 7th ; 
and one during the third week of September at Hastings. In 
1899 two specimens were captured on the same day, 
September 1st, and both were found sitting on windows, one 
at Winchester and one at Deal. In 1904 one was taken near 
Truro, Cornwall, on August 2nd. On August 2nd, 1921, one 
was captured at Dover. In 1926, between September 19th 
and 26th, Mr. W. T. Kerr captured three specimens in his 
garden at Torquay, and saw other specimens in the garden 
" on at least six separate occasions before the end of the 
month/' but was unable to secure them. These were in the 
finest possible condition and had evidently bred in his garden. 
In 1931 a female C. boeticus was taken by Mr. W. R. Clamp at 
Dedham, Essex ; it was fluttering round a large plant of Ever¬ 
lasting Pea “ accompanied by other blue butterflies . . . prob¬ 
ably males." The last occurrence of this butterfly in England 
was when one was taken by Mr. B. C. Harvey, on October 1st, 
1932, who records it in The Entomologist , Vol. LXV, p. 259 
199 
