THE SMALL WHITE 
307 
black and grey scales, and there is grey along the costa of 
the fore wing. 
Female. Creamy-white to yellowish-buff; the apex of the 
fore wing is black or grey ; there are two black spots, one as 
in the male, the other near, and sometimes united to, the 
club-shaped dash along the inner margin. The hind wing 
has the costal spot similar to that of the male ; the base of 
the wings are suffused with grey, mostly on the fore wings. 
Under Side. (Both Sexes.) Both sexes are similar on the 
under side. The apex of the fore wing and the whole of the 
hind wing varying from pale 
ochreous-yellow to light lemon- 
yellow, more or less dusted with 
grey, especially along the lower 
half of the discal cell. The fore 
wing is white, except for the 
tip, with two black spots. 
Life of Imago. This butterfly 
lives for about twenty days. 
Aberration. Seasonal dimor¬ 
phism is distinct. In the spring 
brood, known as ab. metra, the 
males usually have the tips of 
the fore wings faintly and 
slightly blotched with grey or 
blackish, and the central spot 
small and faint. Sometimes the 
markings are altogether mis¬ 
sing ; this form is known as ab immaculata. The females of the 
early brood have the ground colour more or less of a creamy- 
buff hue, and occasionally the apical greyish blotch is absent. 
In the second brood both sexes are usually much more 
heavily marked, and the males mostly have black tips to 
the wings. In the female, an aberration, known as ab .fasciata, 
has the spots united and forming a median band. Frequently 
the basal half of the fore wings is suffused with grey. Aberra¬ 
tions have occurred with the whole of the ground colour a 
dusky-brown ; also very occasionally the ground colour is 
a light clear yellow, but such aberration is very scarce 
Gynandromorphous examples are also exceedingly rare. 
The Small White at rest on a dull 
sunless day. Sketched from life. 
