A Melanic Argynnis Bellona. 



BY P. J. SCHMITT. 



A Strongly-marked, melanic Argynnis belloiia was captured here 

 during' the last collecting season, and a description of it is herewith 

 given. 



It differs from the normal form in these particulars : The basal 

 two-thirds of fore wings, upper and lower side, and upper side of 

 hind wings are black. There are a few scattered, fulvous scales at 

 the base of fore wings; on lower side they are slightly more numer- 

 ous. The outer third is fulvous, but on the fore wings this is much 

 sooted with black scales, especially towards the apex. The terminal 

 are confluent with the subterminal spots, forming a row of five, ob- 

 long marks. The veinlets terminate in oval, black blotches. On 

 the under side of the fore wings the fulvous outer third is very 

 strongly tinged with rusty brown, and the oval, terminal spots of 

 above are indistinct. On the hind wings the black of basal two- 

 thirds extends also narrowly along the veinlets to the outer margin; 

 a very distinctive feature. The terminal lunules are wanting, and 

 the subterminal spots diffuse. In the black a very slender streak of 

 fulvous scales indicates the position of the small vein closing the 

 cell. The lower side of the hind wings has no black, but differs 

 from the normal form by the absence of the usual bands, markings, 

 or spots. Taken Sept. ii, 1889. 



St. Vincent College, Pa. 



Note on the season oi Pleoconia behrensii Lee. — Upon the 19th, 

 20th and 22d of October, last, and while the second period of heavy 

 rain was at its height, I went forth in search of Pleocoma, and on 

 each of the above dates I was successful. I continued the search up 

 to the 27th of the same month, when I relinquished the pursuit, not 

 having met with a Pleocoma after the above-named dates. To-day, 

 the 19th of February, just four months after the first capture of the 

 season, a perfect, living 9 was brought to me, it having been dug 

 out of a bank of black adobe. — J. J. Rivers, University of Calif 



Herr Johann Fruhstorfer, a young German naturalist of Berlin, 

 has spent considerable time in collecting during the past year in 

 Ceylon. He was assisted by fourteen other collectors, Germans 

 and natives, and has succeeded in amassing a collection of insects 

 which he estimates as containing 25,000 Coleoptera, 7000 Lepid- 

 optera, 3000 Orthoptera, a like number of Neuroptera, and a thou- 

 sand of spiders and centipedes. He has also collected in Brazil and 

 Malacca, and in May expects to visit Java and Borneo. Many speci- 

 mens of his collecting will doubtless find a repository in German 

 museums. F. H. C. 



