282 ANNUAL EEPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 193 4 



About 70 live in Asia and in Europe, and 10 in North America ; but 6 

 of the 10 found in North America are simply American varieties of 

 Asiatic species. 



The Scotch argus and the mountain ringlet of Scotland and the 

 north of England are perhaps the most familiar species of this group. 

 But there are many different kinds in central Europe, and every 

 visitor to the European mountains at the proper time of year must 

 notice them — indeed they are common over most of Europe. 



One of the commonest kinds is found over nearly the whole of 

 Europe, and eastward to Amurland in eastern Asia. It lives in 

 woods, in meadows, and along grass-grown roads. Its flight is slow, 

 irregular, and somewhat skipping. The males are very common, but 

 the females are much less often seen. They fly, as a rule, only toward 

 the end of the season. 



Several of the Erebias are woodland butterflies, some being found 

 in damp pine woods, others in swampy woods, in shady places or in 

 clearings in the forests, or in the woods of the subalpine region. The 

 woodland species are generally sluggish with a slow, weak, and hesi- 

 tating flight, and usually frequent rests. A few live both in woods 

 and in open moorland. 



But most of the Erebias live in treeless regions, a few on the Arctic 

 or high northern tundras, but the great majority on mountains above 

 the timber line, ascending to a height of more than 14,000 feet above 

 the sea. They frequent the beautiful alpine meadows and more or 

 less barren grassy slopes, where one cannot fail to notice them. In 

 general their flight is sluggish, direct, fluttering, and rather weak, 

 with frequent rests, and they keep down near the grass tops. Some, 

 however, have a stronger and more or less skipping flight. Thej^ are 

 fond of resting on stones or on the bare ground in sunny places with 

 the wings half opened. Many of them are fond of flowers, and some 

 are fond of perspiration. 



On the barren ground of the mountain tops between the tree line 

 and the snow, especially on rocky slopes, live many different kinds. 

 These are not so easy to catch as are those of the alpine meadows. 

 They have a rather rapid, hurried, and direct flight, keeping near 

 the ground, and frequently flying off into places where it is impossi- 

 ble to follow them. In spite of their dark and seemingly conspic- 

 uous color they are very adept at concealing themselves. They are 

 fond of sunning themselves on rocks with the wings half opened; 

 but when so engaged they are rather shy. In Switzerland I have 

 found them occasionally lying benumbed upon the snow with their 

 wings closed. 



All of these butterflies that I caught in Europe proved to be males, 

 and this is the common experience of amateur collectors. The fe- 



