GENUS PARNASSIUS ' 79 



This variety of Smintheus is, according to the books, founded on 

 those Smintheus females that have the round spots on hind wings 

 mostly white instead of red ; the figure gives us a good example. 

 Nearly all of these white-spotted examples have the spots of 

 under side more white than on upper side. 



Eggs, sex-marks, food-plants, and habitat, as in previous 

 numbers. 



lo. Parnassius Niger, n. v. Not elsewhere illustrated. 



Plate II; Figure lo. Male, Summit, Cal., July, 1892; 

 Author. 



This variety of Smintheus is in the male, only, and is founded 

 on the form here illustrated, where the red on all the wings is 

 absent, and only black appears, no red being present, even near the 

 body on the underside. This individual was found by the Author, 

 as a larva, probably nearly or quite mature, on the high moun- 

 tains, as stated above, and taken home to Southern California, 

 where the imago emerged the following spring. The climate at 

 Summit is severe, the altitude being over 7,500 feet, and snow and 

 ice prevail for many months ; the chrysalis, then, was wintered 

 in a warm climate, where it did not experience any cold weather 

 at all, but whether such a modification of environment caused the 

 unusual markings, no one at present can tell. To rear larvre on 

 strange food, and in very extraordinary environment, as in dark, 

 or cold, quarters, is known to vary the resulting imagines, mak- 

 ing them darker. But we can scarcely expect a bleaching effect 

 from wintering a chrysalis in a warm climate. The facts go to 

 show, therefore, a genuine variety. 



In the absence of red spots on hind wing of the male, Niger is 

 like Nanus, but Nanus has a "prominent discal spot" which Niger 

 has not. and Niger is much larger than Nanus. Whatever other 

 differences there may be, except the wide difference of latitude 

 between the home of Nanus and that of Niger, I know not. The 

 dift'erence in latitude is twelve degrees, or over 800 miles in a right 

 line. 



II. Parnassius Sedakovi. 



No figure. 

 This variety is a southern variety of the endless variations 

 of Smintheus, and was noticed at an early date, and described in 

 1835, by Alenetries. It is now often ignored by some among those 



