VOL. IX. LONDON, ONT., NOVEMBER, 1877. No. 11 



PIERIS VERNALIS A VARIETY OF PIERIS PROTODICE. 



BY THOS. E. ISEAN, GALENA, ILLINOIS. 



Experiments and observations during 1874-5, supplemented by corfi- 

 parison of a large suite of specimens, seemed to invalidate the specific 

 separation of vernalis. Submitting the facts to Mr. W. H. Edwards, he 

 confirmed my opinion, and in the recently issued " Catalogue of the 

 Diurnal Lepidoptera of America North of Mexico,'' he has placed 

 " vernalis " as a variety of P. protodice. 



The basis for my conclusion is briefly as below : 



I. A BROOD FROM PROTODICE. 



% taken August 15th, 1874. h protodice oi woxm^S. summer form; 

 being of large size, with ample and dark markings on upper surface of 

 wings and gray scales at base of primaries above, and showing yellowish 

 and rather meagre shading beneath secondaries. This deposited eggs 

 2ist August, which produced larvae on 25th. Resulting imagines, seven, 

 Sept. 15 th. Two of these were not noticeably variant from usual proto- 

 dice ; the remaining five were grades between protodice and vernalis, one 

 female and four males ; the female and three males approximated proto- 

 dice in varying degrees, and one male was nearer vernalis than protodice 

 in size and marking. 



2. A SERIES FROM COLLECTED LARV^. 



In 1874, late in September and early in October, a large number of the 

 caterpillars in various sizes were taken from naturalized mustard. 



These were brought to the pupa stage with very slight loss, during 

 October and early in November. 



No parasites were observed in any stage. 



