250 MEMOIRS ON THE COLEOPTERA 



so that his work can not be viewed seriously from the standpoint of 

 classification. Outline is frequently of some value and yet all the 

 published figures are alike in this respect, the same diagram being 

 used for all, upon which to depict the dots and dashes. It is very 

 easy for one viewing the subject chiefly in this light to be mistaken 

 by forming series extending from unmarked to profusely marked 

 individuals; for, having his attention fixed solely upon maculation, 

 he is sure to overlook other more significant landmarks. I have 

 had some experience throwing light upon the author's methods, 

 which it seems desirable to record at the present opportunity. 



Mr. Johnson prepared his material in the form of plaques made 

 of two glass plates, separated by a piece of velvet upon which were 

 closely placed in parallel lines, a large number of specimens of what 

 he considered single species, arranged according to development of 

 marking, in order to display the range of variation at a glance. 

 One of these plaques, purporting to contain only specimens of 

 Hippodamia lecontei, from Fairfield, Washington State, he very 

 kindly presented to me; the diversity of ornamentation revealed 

 within it was certainly amazing. The specimens were of course 

 quite useless in that condition for purposes of study, and I therefore 

 took the plaque apart and mounted in the regular way as many 

 examples as remained uncrushed by the pressure of the glass plates. 



After carefully studying these 112 specimens, so mounted, it 

 became evident that they could readily be resolved into three 

 clearly demarcated series of species or subspecies, one of which, 

 represented by 35 specimens, was conspicuously homogeneous 

 within itself, well isolated from the others and subject to com- 

 paratively little variation of any kind, even in size of body. This 

 was the form named caseyi by Mr. Johnson; its spots are all rela- 

 tively heavy and the basal spots of the elytra are frequently loosely 

 joined transversely; but it is distinguished primarily from the other 

 two by having the black area of the pronotum invariably attain, 

 or virtually attain, the side margins at the middle, a condition 

 never observable in the latter. 



The second series of 47 specimens represented the northwest 

 coast subspecies, formerly alluded to by the writer as having been 

 confounded by Mr. Leng with divergens; the three scutellar spots 

 are frequently united to form a triangular star, which never exhibits 



