254 
LYCAENIDAE 
Egg Laying. Butterflies of the first brood deposit their 
eggs on the flower-heads of various shrubs. The most 
commonly selected are Holly and Dogwood. Among others 
are Buckthorn (R. frangula), Euonymus europaeus and Furze. 
Those of the second brood deposit on Ivy and occasionally 
on Bramble. When intent on depositing, the butterfly flutters 
over and around the selected bush and usually chooses the 
flower-heads of the upper branches. She then settles on the 
buds and curves her abdomen down and feels for either the 
bud-stalk or the base of the bud, and lays a single egg. She 
then flies off to repeat the process. Sometimes I have watched 
a female laying many eggs on the same bush. 
The egg is only 0*30 mm. high and 0 60 mm. wide, and of 
a compressed circular shape. The micropyle is deeply sunken. 
The surface is covered with raised reticulations forming a 
delicate and beautiful lacework-like pattern, the pattern being 
largest round the middle and diminishing on the crown and 
base. The colour is pale greenish-blue, the reticulations pure 
glassy white, resembling white porcelain. The egg stage lasts 
between six and seven days. 
Larva. The young larva emerges from the egg by eating 
away the whole of the crown. During the first stage the 
little larva will readily feed on the very young leaves of 
Holly, eating small holes in the upper cuticle ; also on the 
flower-buds. After its first moult it eats its cast skin. 
When fully grown, the larva is from 1270 mm. to 14*80 mm. 
in length. The head is very small, shining bronze-black, 
and is attached to a yellow, retractile neck ; while feeding and 
crawling it is protruded, otherwise it is withdrawn and hidden 
under the first segment, which is projecting and compressed. 
The segments are humped dorsally from the second to ninth 
inclusive ; the last three segments are rather flattened. The 
larva has a medio-dorsal furrow, and a lateral dilated ridge 
extends all round its body, hiding the legs and claspers. 
On the tenth segment the honey-gland shows as a transverse 
incision. The whole surface is finely, granulated and densely 
beset with minute star-like processes, white and glassy. 
There are three different forms of colouring: (1) The 
ground colour is a clear light green with dull pinkish-purple 
markings and whitish sub-dorsal and lateral lines ; (2) The 
