THE BROWN ARGUS 
221 
Female. The female is similar to the male, but all the orange 
spots are much larger and continuous to the apex of the fore 
wing. The outer margins of the female are also rather rounder. 
Under Side. The ground colour is a light greyish-brown 
with numerous white-ringed black spots, usually seven on the 
fore wing and twelve on the hind wing. Both wings have 
outer marginal orange-red spots edged with black and white 
lunules ; a whitish blotch extends from the cell to the orange 
band. The female is usually browner underneath, otherwise 
it is similar to the male. The eyes are naked. 
Life of Imago. Probably about twenty-one days. 
Aberration. A. agestis is liable to considerable aberration 
in respect to the development of the orange-red markings, 
especially in the males. Sometimes in the male they are only 
indicated by a faint orange spot or two ; while in the female 
the spots are much enlarged, forming broad bands in each wing. 
The colour of the spots varies in tint from light red to pale 
yellow, and in rare instances to light lemon-yellow. Specimens 
in the southern localities often have the black discoidal spot 
outlined with white. Occasionally specimens occur with 
the spots on the under side more or less reduced in size or 
number, until all the spots are obsolete, except the discoidal 
spots =ab. obsolefa . At the other extreme occasionally the 
spots are confluent, forming streaks =ab. striata. But 'these 
extreme forms are of rare occurrence in this species. Besides 
this individual aberration there are three well-defined local 
races : (i) Typical agestis of the south ; (2) The intermediate 
race=ab. salmacis , occurring in the northern counties of 
England. This has the orange-red spots on the upper side 
fewer and smaller or obsolete in the male and also smaller in 
the female ; the discoidal spot is more or less surrounded by 
white ; the black spots on the under side are also much 
smaller than in A. agestis ; (3) The form occurring in Scot¬ 
land =ab. artaxerxes, which has a pure white discoidal spot 
in the fore wing of both sexes, and the spots on the under side 
either wholly white or with minute black centres. Occasionally 
this race occurs with white discoidal spots on both fore and 
hind wings =ab. quadripuncta . 
The two local races, ab. salmacis and ab. artaxerxes , occui 
only in the British Islands, being unknown on the Continent. 
