PARNASSIUS Il-IV. 



observed by Mr. Keutti. The formation of the keel in Apollo, Siebold thinks de- 

 pends on the size and form of tlie organs of the male; the secretion passing between 

 the two claspcrs would form a keel." 



With regard to tlie localities and habits of tSminiheus I give extracts from Mr. 

 Mead's letters. On the 8th of June, he writes from Fairj^lay, South Park, Colorado. 

 "On Tuesday, I took a long walk, about eight miles, down Turkey Creek, finding 

 many unfiuniliar insects. Flying along the road wore two PapUio Dauiiiis, which 

 I captured on the wing. PapUio Rutulus was present in moderate numbers. The 

 two Eurymedon I send were on the flowei-s of a species of Larksjjur which every- 

 where sends up its spikes of dark purple flowers. But what delighted me was the 

 abundance of SniintJicus along the road side. I took thirteen sjiecimens, nearly 

 all males, and many of them so fresh from ciirysalis that the wings had not yet 

 thoroughly stiffened. The next day I discovered a favorite resort of this sjiecies 

 and in course of the morning captured forty-one. They show mueli variation in 

 the number and size of the crimson spots. They were solitary in their habits and 

 fond of alighting on flowers, but did not appear to be attracted by damp spots on 

 the ground as is so usual with butterflies. Their flight was well sustained though 

 slow and within a few feet of the ground. All the females taken were provided 

 with the pouch." 



Ou the 22nd, "Yesterday Mr. B. brought me a female Parnassius with an 

 egg adhering to the ovijiositor and said that it had deposited several eggs on a 

 "tuft of grass." On further inquiring he was not sure what the "grass" might be, 

 and I conjectured it might be the stone-crop, (Sedum) which grows here abundantly, 

 and the flowers of which are very attractive to these butterflies. Accordingly, on 

 searching, I found two empty egg shells on the plant, aj^pareutly punctured by some 

 insect. I also found on same numerous eggs of Euptoieta Columhina, a species 

 which swarms everywhere on these hill sides." On the 27th, from Turkey Creek 

 Junction, "The Parnassians lay eggs freely. I have about 100, laid indiscrimin- 

 ately on the box, or the cloth covering it, within which I had enclosed a female 

 with the food-plant. Very few were on the plant itself." On the 24th of July, 

 " My eggs show no sign of hatching, but most of them retain their normal contour. 

 In regard to the theory of the formation of the pouch, it was suggested that the 

 period of connection between the sexes of those Inittorflies must be very long. In 

 that case I sliould have found many pairs in coitu, whereas I have not so found a 

 single pair." On the 21st of August, "I opened a Parnassius egg to-day and found 

 a half-develoj^ed larva inside apparently in a natural state." On the 27th of Au- 

 gust, "To day I dissected a Parnassius egg carefully and found a com^iletely formed 

 caterpillar entirely black and somewhat hairy." 



In another letter he expresses the opinion that the eggs do not hatch until 



