AMERICAN LEPIDOPTERA. 7 



Fahricii is mottled with brown and ferruginous, whereas, the male of 

 the other species is mottled or marbled in various colors, ferruginous, 

 cinereous, grey, yellow, brown and purple. There are also differences 

 in the markings of costa of primaries on under side, and in the com- 

 mon submarginal spots, these last being conspicuous in one species and 

 obsolete in the other. The color of under surface of Fahricii 9 is brown 

 suffused with ochraceous, that of Inter rogationis 9 brown suffused with 

 blue grey. 



On the other hand, the two species are alike in size in both sexes, and 

 in the markings of fore wings, and in hind wings also, so far as those 

 are not obscured by black. On the under side the pattern is very 

 nearly the same, though the colors differ. The legs, palpi, and anten- 

 nae are the same. 



And here I will notice the remarkable resemblance between these 

 species and G. Commti^ which combines the characters of the other 

 two. The largest specimens of Comma are equal in size to the small- 

 est of the others; the form is sometimes that of one, sometimes of the 

 other, varying much in falcation and length of tail ; the color of upper 

 side is between the two ; the spots precisely the same ; on the under 

 side the same words would describe the males of Comma and of Inter- 

 rogationia, varying only the shades of color. The lines, basal space, 

 spots, dots, patches, stripes and metallic marginal spots are all the 

 same except in color. Moreover, individuals of Comma are not unu- 

 sual in which the silver spot is an interrupted C as in the other species. 

 I have no doubt, as before said, this species was formerly considered as 

 a variety of hiterroijatlonis. 



(We have also a fourth species nearly allied to Comma, hitherto un- 

 described, to which I have given the name of Dryas, intending to pub- 

 lish a full description in the current volume of these "Transactions." 

 The upper surface of the male is much like that of Interrogationis 

 male, the hind wings being black. The under side very much resem- 

 bles Comma, but shades of yellow predominate in the coloring. The 

 silver C is very slender. Tbe under side of the female is readily dis- 

 tinguished from all the species by its yellow hue, which is pretty uni- 

 form, though densely covered with ferruginous streaks. This species 

 I have several times taken or bred from the larva, at Coalburgh, and 

 it will probably be found wide spread, though, perhaps, no where 

 common.) 



All three are abundant in West Virginia, and for several seasons I 

 have had opportunities of watching them in every stage of develop- 



