204 
LYCAENIDAE 
this elegant butterfly. Vein two of the hind wing is con¬ 
siderably elongated into a slender white-tipped black tail 
2‘6o mm. long, and there are two velvety black spots above 
each side of the tail; the fringes are greyish. 
( Under Side.) The under side is pale brownish-buff, 
pencilled with numerous pale transverse streaks ; crossing 
the hind wing is a broad dull white transverse baud. The 
two velvety black spots at the anal angle have each an orange 
blotch above and are edged with intensely brilliant, glittering 
silver-green. 
Female . ( Upper Side.) The female has the ground colour 
black with a cloud of lustrous purple scales extending over 
the basal half and beyond the middle of the fore wing ; this 
beautiful colour varies from lustrous purple to iridescent 
ultramarine-blue. The base of the hind wing is also powdered 
with the same colour. Beyond the middle of the wing is a 
pale indistinct buffish band and a marginal series of faint 
black spots continuous with the two velvety-black anal angle 
spots ; these are encircled with white and violet. In some 
specimens a small orange patch appears above the black. 
( Under Side.) The under side of the female is similar to 
that of the male, but has, in addition, a whitish transverse 
bar parallel to the outer margin of the fore wing ; the rest 
of the markings are whiter, also the ground colour is rather 
greyer than in the male. These descriptions apply to the 
large-bred examples from parents captured at Collisure, 
Eastern Pyrenees. 
Life of Imago. In captivity I have had this butterfly alive 
for a fortnight after capture abroad ; the probable extent 
of its life in a wild state would be about twenty-one days. 
Aberration. The female is very variable in depth and 
brilliancy of colouring ; in some the purple is faint and the 
ground colour grey or smoky-black ; others are deep black 
with a large amount of brilliant purple or deep, rich blue. 
The males vary much in the extent of the density of the long 
plumose scaling ; in some, both fore and hind wings are 
almost completely covered, producing a strongly glaucous 
effect to the otherwise rich purple colouring. 
