54 THE CANADIAN ENToMOLOGlSt. 



males Ursula by an emanation after the fashion of the Bombycid females, 

 perceivable ten miles away at the very least? There ought, on any 

 theory of attraction, to be a steady flight of Ursula males across the 

 peaks, and once arrived at Stony Clove they should take up their abode 

 there, and be seen in company with these so ardently sought females. 

 But they are not there — never in a single instance have been seen there ; 

 and to attribute to them such powers of flight is contrary to what Mr. 

 Scudder is fond of calling the " stupid fact." 



On the other hand, the Proserpina males and females live with the 

 Arthemis, mate in both sexes with the two sexes of Arthemis, and the 

 eggs of one form hatch as readily as do those of the other. The black 

 males mate with black females, and pied males with pied females. 

 Black on both sides will account for the black progeny considered by 

 Mr. Scudder as so close to Ursula ; and the other mixtures will account 

 for every phase of colour or marking exhibited. Mr. Scudder proceeds : 

 " Several instances of undoubted hybridism are known in the genus." On 

 which I remark that distinct species of other genera are also known to 

 copulate, and it is not uncommon of Colias. And there are instances of 

 species of unrelated genera, even sub-families, copulating. The late 

 W. S. Foster, in 1889, on one of the peaks in Colorado, captured a rnale 

 Melitcea Palla in copulation with a female Chrysophanus Sno w and 

 they only separated in the cyanide bottle. I have the two mounted by 

 Mr. Foster on one pin, with his label stating the facts attached. Also 

 he notified me of the capture at the time it was made. Mr. Bruce has 

 twice taken pairs of Lycceiia of whii h the sexes belonged to different sub- 

 groups in copulation. Such instances go to show that a male, not finding 

 its own female, may seize another, even one wholly unrelated. What 

 fierce passion possesses the males of butterflies may be seen by referring 

 to the history of Heliconia C/iaritonia, Butt. N. A., Vol. II. But when 

 females of a species are abundant, it does not seem very probable that a 

 male will seek the female of another species, much less scale the Catskills 

 to find her ! 



" Proserpina partakes of the characters of the two species mentioned 

 . . ; it possesses, in fact, just the characters we should expect of a 

 hybrid between these two species. It varies most towards Ursula where 

 this prevails, and most towards Arthemis where that prevails." I have 

 answered this in the preceding paragraph. No Ursula need to be called 

 in for the solving of this puzzle. 



