104 BULLETIN UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA. 



WIEDEMEYER'S ADMIRAL Basilarchia wiedemeyeri, Edwards. 



Plate VII. Fig. 3. 



Butterfly- — It may be distinguished from B. lerquina by its wings be- 

 ing crossed with white bars instead of cream ones, and the absence of a 

 bar at the end of the cell and the yellow apex; it has a submarginal row 

 of white spots on both wings. Expanse 3.00 inches, 77 mm. 



Early Stages — Caterpillar feeds upon cottonwood. 



Distribution — The insect is found on the Pacific slope and eastward 

 to Montana, Nebraska and New Mexico. 



We have not yet taken this species west of the Rocky Mountains, 

 although it is not uncommon east of the range. Brandegee has collected 

 it at Helena, Cooley at Mystic Lake, and Wiley at Miles City. Douglas 

 found it at Madison lake and Jasper Mountain. Taken at Big Sandy by 

 Coubeaux. 



LORQUIN'S ADMIRAL, Basilarchia lorquini, Boisduval. 

 Plate VII, Fig. 1, upper. Fig. 2, lower surface. 



Butterfly — Easily distinguished from all the other species of the 

 genus by the yellowish white bar near the end of the cell of the fore 

 wings, and the reddish color of the apex and upper margin of the same 

 wings. Expanse, 2.25-2.75 in., 56 to 62 mm. 



Caterpillar— The food plant of the caterpillar is poplar, willow, and 

 the choke-cherry. 



Distribution — This is a western speies, quite common in most locali- 

 ties in the state west of the range. It is not known to occur east of the 

 range. The University of Montana collection embraces specimens col- 

 lected by Elrod at various plf.ces in the Mission Mountains, at Flathead 

 and Swan lakes, at Missoula, and on Mt. Lo Lo. 



BUTTER FLIES ON CHIMBORAZO. 



"Even butterflies are found at sea at great distances from the coast, 

 being carried there by the force of the wind when storms come off the 



land. In the same involuntary manner insects are transported into the 

 upper regions of the atmosphere, 16,000 or 19,000 feet above the plains. 

 The heated crust of the earth occasions an ascending vertical current 

 of air, by which light bodies are borne upwards. 



When Bonpland, Carlos Montufar and myself reached, on the 23rd 

 of June, 1802, on the eastern declivity of the Chimborazo the height of 

 19,286 English feet, we saw winged insects fluttering around us. We 

 could see that they were Dipteras, but it was impossible to catch the in- 

 sects The insects were flying at a height of about 18,226 feet 



Somewhat lower down, at about 2,600 toises (16,680), also therefore 

 within the line of perpetual snow, Bonpland had seen yellow butterflies 

 flying very near the ground. Humboldt in "Aspects of Nature." 



