170 



have submitted to Mr. H. Edwards a female of Edivardsii, from W. T., 

 with similar color' ' ( i. e. to Astrcza, a species or form tinted with orange 

 over whole upper surface, but so slightly as to be rather buff than 

 orange), ' ' and he decided that it was very much like Astrtza. Now this 

 color was prepared purposely. When the specimen was taken, it was 

 put in a f?'eshly prepared cyanide bottle, which was still damp inside, 

 so that both hind wings were thoroughly wetted. The supposed change 

 in the color appeared after the specimen had become dry."* 



Observe the circumstantiality of this ! A fresh bottle of cyanide was 

 prepared, and a yellow butterfly knoivn to be Edwardsii was taken and 

 put in it purposely to change the color. The color was changed from 

 yellow to buff, or pale orange. This example was sent to Mr. Ed- 

 wards to pronounce upon, and he said " it was very like Astma." 



I asked Mr. Stretch what he kncM' about this " purposely prepared" 

 likeness of Astrcea, so submitted to Mr. Edwards. He replied that 

 he knew nothing of it, but as Mr. Henshaw used a cyanide bottle, and 

 he himself did not, referred me to him Thereupon I wrote Mr. Hen- 

 shaw, asking if there was not some error in the statement given by Dr. 

 Hagen, as it reads. He replied June 25, 1884: " In answer to your 

 letter I would say that Mr. Stretch is mistaken in saying that the de- 

 tails given in Dr. Hagen' s paper are erroneous. Mr. S. was not pres- 

 ent at the time. The bottle was mine, and Dr. Hagen, on seeing the 

 specimen with the wings wet and soiled, said preserve it and we will see 

 if it changes'' (the italics mine . Mr. Henshaw first says the details 

 as given by Dr. Hagen are correct, and then says in effect that they 

 are not correct, inasmuch as the insect was not purposely colored, but 

 accidentally proved to be so. On this, Mr. Stretch again remarks: 

 " Mr. Henshaw broke his bottle and we made a new one, that I know. 

 I did not know the rest. All the same, it was no experiment; we none 

 of us knew positively the names of the Colias we were taking; no ac- 

 count was kept of the color of the specimens before they went into the 

 omnivorous bottle, ajid conseque^itly no one knows the extent of the 

 change which took place. It was a pure accident, and the change of 

 color was purely based on supposition. 



It is plain from this that there is not even a certainty that a yellow 

 Colias "M^nt into that "omnivorous bottle," or that any change was 

 effected at all. All that appears is that a buff-colored Colias came out 

 of the bottle. My opinion is that said butterfly came out the same 

 color it went in. The effect of cyanide is not to change the yellow of 

 a Colias to buff, but to crimson, blood-red, and no exposure would 

 change all four wings evenly and thoroughly. It would be deeper 

 colored in one place than another, and part would not be colored at 



* Dr. Hagen's English is sometimes obscure, but by the "supposed change of color" I under- 

 stand that the color which it was supposed would appear on treating this butterfly with cyanide 

 did appear. It was a successful experiment. 



