THE LONG-TAILED BLUE 201 
until after capture, as when flying they were thought to be 
P. teams. 
Time of Appearance. All the specimens which have 
occurred in this country have appeared between August 2nd 
and October 2nd. Therefore, it is only examples of the late 
summer brood that have migrated to England. It is quite 
possible that some of these immigrants have laid their eggs 
in this country (in one instance at least this happened), but 
it would be only those laid about the middle of August 
that would produce butterflies before the cold, damp 
nights of October set in, which would be fatal to the pupae, 
for the time occupied by the various stages, i.e. from the 
deposition of the egg to the emergence of the imago, is about 
forty-two days. 
The case in point of the undoubted breeding in this country, 
is that of Mr. Kerr’s experience of the specimens seen and 
captured in his garden at Torquay, for he found one example 
hanging on a grass stem with its wings in a limp condition, 
proving that it had only just emerged from the pupa ; and 
the others seen were in perfectly fresh condition. 
The Long-tailed Blue is one of the few species which has 
no hibernating stage, as in its native haunts a succession of 
broods occurs throughout the year. 
Egg and Egg Laying. C. boeticus 
deposits its eggs singly on the basal 
parts of the buds and flowers of the 
various food plants. The egg is 
very small, only 0^50 mm. in diam¬ 
eter and much less in height ; it is 
of a compressed spheroid shape ; 
the micropyle is sunken. The 
whole surface is covered with fine 
reticulations, irregular over the 
crown, increasing in size over the 
brim, where they spread out into 
a fine network pattern composed 
of knobs arranged at fairly equal 
distances. Each one radiates six 
raised ribs, forming a beautiful 
hexagonal pattern ; these, on 
Pupae of the Long-tailed Blue. 
