BUTTERFLIES OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 13 



in which the underside of the hind wings is uniform deep-pinkish 

 red. This is far less active than the usual form, and is a poor and 

 weak flier. Together with the intermediate form, it is wholly killed 

 out during the winter so that in the early spring only the small and 

 active form, which is always to be found, is seen. 



The same diversity is found in the red admiral {Pyrmneis ata- 

 lanta). In early spring all the individuals are small and light col- 

 ored. In early summer larger and darker individuals appear. In 

 late summer these become common, and in addition there appears in 

 bogs a large and very dark inactive form with the band on the fore 

 wings narrow and more or less interrupted. This and the intermedi- 

 ate form disappear during the winter. 



In the painted lady {Pyrameis cardu'i) all the individuals seen in 

 early spring are small and very dull in color. In early summer the 

 individuals are larger and more brightly colored. They are more or 

 less divisible into two forms, one smaller and brownish red with the 

 ground color but little variegated, and the other larger and brighter 

 with the ground color variegated, tinged with rosy red, and with the 

 submarginal spots on the hind wings frequently enlarged and pro- 

 vided with conspicuous blue centers. A single fresh individual of 

 the small dull light-brownish early-spring form was taken, on June 

 14, 1931, but this is the only record. In the late summer all the 

 individuals are of the large and handsome brightly colored type, the 

 early-spring and the intermediate forms being wholly absent. As all 

 the individuals seen in early spring are of a form different from 

 the single form that occurs in late summer and autumn, it is evident 

 that this butterfly is completely killed out during the winter. 



The three forms of the painted lady {Pyramveis cardui) obviously 

 correspond to the three forms of the red admiral {P. atalanta) and 

 of the buckeye {Junonia lavinio) coeiiia) ; but they differ in their 

 relative abundance. The small light-colored active form, common in 

 all the broods of the red admiral and of the buckeye, in the painted 

 lady is merely casual in the early-summer brood, and neither this nor 

 the intermediate form occurs in the late-summer brood. 



The two common species of Polygonia occurring in the District 

 {Polygonia interrogatioins and P. comma) both have a long-winged 

 light-colored and a short-winged dark-colored form. The differ- 

 ence between these two forms is very marked in P. interroyationis, 

 but is much less marked in P. comma. In both species the individ- 

 uals on the wing in late summer and autumn, which live through 

 the winter, are of the light long-winged form, and the early-summer 

 broods are made up of individuals of the dark short-winged and 

 relatively inactive form. But not infrequently examples of the dark 

 form appear in late summer and live through the winter, particu- 

 larly in P. coinma^ and examples of the light form are to be found 



