THE SHORT-TAILED BLUE 
209 
The eyes are smooth. ( Under Side.) This is a light pearl- 
grey ; the base of the wings is pale blue. In the centre of 
the fore wing is a black-and-white discoidal mark and a 
curved transverse series of seven white-ringed black dots ; 
there are also twelve similar dots in the hind wing. 
Female. (Upper Side.) This is dark bronze-brown in 
colour, without any blue scaling. The under side is similar 
to that of the male, but is tinged with pale ochreous. 
Life of Imago. The life of this little butterfly is apparently 
of short duration, probably not exceeding more than about 
fifteen days. 
Aberration. This butterfly is liable to much aberration in 
the spotting of the under surface. Generally the spots are 
reduced in size and occasionally they are absent — ab. obsoleta. 
The blue scaling in the males varies considerably. Large 
examples heavily suffused with blue, ab. alsoides, And., are 
not uncommon. A very rare form of the male with a pale 
grey upper surface, ab. pallida , has occurred. 
Genus EVERES, Hiibner , 1823 
THE SHORT-TAILED BLUE 
or 
THE BLOXWORTH BLUE 
Everes argiades (Pall., 1771). 
(Plate XX, facing page 225) 
It was not until the year 1885 that the occurrence of this 
little butterfly was known in this country. I11 that year 
three specimens were captured ; two of these, a male and 
female, were taken by the sons of the Rev. 0 . Pickard Cam¬ 
bridge on Bloxworth Heath, Dorset. The third example was 
captured by Mr. Philip Tudor, near Bournemouth on August 
21st of the same year. In 1874 two other examples, both 
males, were reported by the Rev. J. S. St. John to have been 
captured close to a small quarry at Frome, Somersetshire, 
B.B. 
O 
