ARGYNNIS XIV. 



apical lunules whitisli; secondaries present a row of spots, a shade paler than the 

 ground, corresponding to the second silvered row of under side. 



Under side of primaries yellow buif, deep fulvous at base, on inner margin 

 throughout, and over three fourths of cell, passing into reddish buff towards inner 

 angle ; sub-marginal spots enclosing, throughout, silver spaces. Secondaries pale 

 bufi", mottled with darker shade; silver spots large, the second row completely but 

 delicately edged with black, the sub-marginal nearly ovate. 



Taken in the valleys of the Bierra, near Virginia City, Nevada. 



In the markings of upper side and in the form and size of the silver spots, Ne- 

 vadensis is nearest Edwardsii. 



Mr. Henry Edwards, to whom we owe the discovery of this fine sjDCcies, writes 

 as follows respecting it. "The range of Nevadensis appears to be very limited as 

 I have only seen it in the immediate neighborhood of Virginia, but it is there by 

 no means rare. It loves to fly about the warm canons of the mountains and is es- 

 pecially abundant near Washoe Lake. This is a beautiful sheet of l^ater about two 

 miles wide by seven long ahrost on the summit of the spur of the Sierra of which 

 Mt. Davidson is the highest peak and on the sides of which Virginia is built. It 

 is nearly 6000 feet above the sea level and its shores are covered in the Sj^ringwith a 

 luxuriant growth of Compositse, Violacese and Liliacese. About this Lake during 

 this summer (1870) I saw scores of Nevadensis, but I only captured a few, O'wing to 

 their wonderfully swift flight. I rarely saw them alight and it was necessary to 

 take them on the wing. The males are very pugnacious and chase each other with 

 great earnestness. The capture of our mountain butterflies is always a task of difii- 

 culty from the uneven nature of the ground, and frequently the work is terrible. 

 One has to toil over dry mountains covered with " sage brush," with not a tree in 

 sight, and rarely is a drop of water to be found throughout a days tramp." 



Note. — Since the publication of the plate of Arg. Edwardsii, that species has 

 been confidently asserted by no less eminent authorities than Dr. Staudinger and 

 Mr. Moschler to be identical with Ar/iaia. 



Dr. Staudinger writes, 6th April, 1871: "There is not the least doubt that 

 Arcf. Edwardsii is Arg. Aglaia, Linn. There is not the least difference and the 

 A(jl((.ia from Asia differ much more from the true European type than your Ag- 

 laia of Colorado, which differs only in namer 



I am not advised that either of these naturalists have any acquaintance with 

 the American species beyond what is to be gained from my jilate and description. 

 Certainly the insect is as yet excessively rare in collections. 



At the date of publication of the plate, (1869) I had the use of the few spe- 

 cimens collected by Messi's AVood, Drexler and Ridings, which comprised, so far as 

 I knew, all that were to be found in collections in this country. Quite lately, Mr. 

 T. L, Mead has jjlaced in my liauds a number of specimens taken by him, in June 



