852 



THK BUTTERFLIES OF NEW ENGLAND. 



orange ; in the lower median intorspaee tiiere is a very large orange spot, enclosing at 

 its lower edge a roundish black spot, and edged narrowly above with bliitk, nsually 

 just meeting above the outer V of tlie W in the mesial band, and not reaching below 

 the outer border; in the next interspace below, a little less than midway between the 

 mesial band and tiie outer border, is a transverse black streak, edged above by bluish 

 ■white scales, and followed by bluish .atoms sprinkled more or less profusely on a 

 blackish ground, reaching the outer border, but abridged above to a greater or less 

 extent Ijy some orange color on eitlier side, occasionally traversing the whole width 

 of the interspace; the lowest interspace has, again, an orange spot, continuous with 

 the orange of the interspace above, limited superiorly Ijy a curved blackisii streak, 

 which is edged above with iiluish white, and directed inward as it passes toward the 

 inner border, and below by a pretty large, lilackish spot, occupying the extreme anal 

 angle ; the black edging of the outer border of the wing is surmounted by a narrow 

 line of whitish scales, most distinct on the lower half of the wing, and occasionally 

 sull'using somewhat the Ijluisli spot in the medio-submedian interspace; fringe of both 

 wings similar in color to the under surface of the wings, or slightly paler, Ijlack at 

 the extreme anal angle of the hind wings, and black-tipped in the adjoining inter- 

 space; tails blackish brown, white-tipped, the longer also fringed interiorly on basal 

 half with white. 



Abdomen above and half w.ay down the sides of the color of the upper surface of 

 the wings; lower half of the sides grayish, beneath whitish. Alations of upper 

 organ of male (34 : 20) well rounded, but angularly produced a little, and sliglitly 

 notched at the lower posterior angle; clasps tapering regularly throughout, bluntly 

 rounded at tip, the lower edge straight, the whole less than three times as long as 

 broad. 



Described from 18 J , 10 ? . Tails varying from 3.2.5-4.5 mm. ( i ) in length. 



Variations. The typical specimen of Thecla humuli in the Harris collection, like one 

 other from New England I have seen, has so small an orange spot in the lowest me- 

 dian interspace of the under surface of the hind wings, as to give a very difterent ap- 

 pearance to the insect. The spot reaches only half way to the band; it was doubtless 

 this circumstance added to the ditlerence in the length of the tails that led Dr. H.arris 

 to consider his northern specimens specifically distinct from the southern. 



Eastern examples seem to be slightly smaller than those from the Pacilic coast, the 

 color of the upper surface of the wings is darker and richer, that of the under surface 

 somewliat darker; while the Calif ornian specimens, which are soft, pearly gray 

 beneath, generally have the orange edging of the mesial band more distinct and 

 broader. It is a little curious that Edwards, who looks upon the Californian form as 

 a species distinct from the eastern, should refer Hlibner's melinus to the Californian 

 species, when the specimen from which the illustration was taken came from 

 Georgia. 



Egg (65: 5, 6). Pea green, the cells .about .03 mm. in diameter, polygonal, aljove 

 often quatlrangular or nearly so, scarcely growing smaller next the micropyle, the 

 w.alls on upper surf.ace about as high as thick and about one-sixtli the average diame- 

 ter of the cells; on the sides at least twice as thick, the cells sometimes reduced to 

 circular pits and, at the angles of several cells, the walls raised to a low, rounded, 

 knob-like prominence still at the same distance apart as above. Micropyle (68 : 3) 

 indicated by the lowering of the cell walls about it, itself of slight dimensions, com- 

 posed of a single circle of six wedge-shaped cells, together .05 mm. in diameter. 

 Diameter of egg, .6 mm. ; height, .'36 mm. 



