Genus Argynnis 



Egg. — Conoidal, with twelve to fourteen ribs, honey-yellow. 

 The caterpillars are hatched in the fall, and hibernate without feed- 

 ing until the following spring. 



Caterpillar.— The head is dark blackish-brown. The body 

 is velvety-purple above, a little paler on the under side. The 

 usual spines occur on the body, and are black, grayish at the 

 base. The larva feeds on violets. 



Chrysalis.— l\\e chrysalis is light brown, speckled, except on 

 the abdominal segments, with black. 



This species ranges from Maine to the mountains of western 

 Pennsylvania, and thence southward along the central ridges of 

 the Alleghanies into West Virginia. It is also found in Canada, 

 and extends westward into the region of the Rocky Mountains. 

 It is especially common in the White Mountains of New Hamp- 

 shire and the Adirondacks, 



(12) Argynnis lais, Edwards, Plate XIV, Fig. 12, S ; Fig. 

 13, ? (The Northwestern Silver-spot). 



Butterfly. — The male is bright reddish-fulvous on the upper 

 side, slightly obscured by fuscous at the base. The discal band 

 of spots common to both wings is broken and irregular, and the 

 spots on the hind wings are quite small. The fore wings on the 

 under side are buff at the tips and pale red at the base and on 

 the inner margin, lighter at the inner angle. The under side of 

 the hind wings as far as the outer margin of the discal row of 

 silvery spots is dark brown, mottling a yellowish ground. The 

 submarginal band of the hind wings is pale yellow and moder- 

 ately broad. The female is marked much as the male, but the 

 discal band of spots on the upper side of the fore wings is con- 

 fluent and broader, the fringes whitish, and the spots included 

 between the sagittate marginal spots and the marginal lines paler 

 than in the male sex. Expanse, 2.oo-2„2o inches. 

 Caterpillar, etc. — The early stages are unknown. 

 This species is found in the territories of Alberta and Assini- 

 boia, and in British Columbia among the foot-hills and the lower 

 slopes of the mountain-ranges, 



(13) Argynnis oweni, Edwards, Plate XII, Fig. 5, S ; Fig. 

 6, , under side (Owen's Silver-spot). 



Butterfly, S .—The wings on the upper side are dull reddish- 

 fulvous, not much obscured with brown' on the base, the black 

 markings moderately heavy, the two marginal lines tending to 



109 



