ARGYNNIS IX. 



prominent, carinated, followed by a deep excavation ; the tubercles on abdomen 

 very small, scarcely visible ; color dark brown, mottled in shades, and with more 

 or less yellow-brown, particularly on the abdomen, on dorsal side of which the 

 darker shade makes a serrated border to the front of each segment ; the wing 

 cases dark and glossy. The only chrysalis died before pupation. (Figs, d, cP.) 



This species was first described by Dr. H. Behr, without a name, but designated 

 as " No. 5 " in his paper on the Californian Argynnides, 1862 ; and it is compared 

 and contrasted with his " No. 4," which later he called Montivaga. Dr. Behr says 

 that No. 5 is much more common than the other, and " is easily recognized by 

 the black bordering of the spots of the intermediate fascice (the second and third 

 rows), their oval, not quadrangular, .shape, and the rounded (lunular) form of 

 the marginal spots." In 1869, Dr. Boisduval described the species as Egleis, 

 Dr. Behr not having meanwhile applied a name to it, but included in it, I appre- 

 hend, the Montivaga, Behr, and certainly the distinct species Irene. He calls 

 attention to this last as a variety which he had taken to be a species, but says 

 that after having compared more than a hundred examples he finds that one 

 runs into another in such a way that they cannot be separated. After eliminat- 

 ing Montivaga and Irene, there still remains a wide amount of variation be- 

 tween the forms which yet pass under the name Egleis. One of these is figured 

 on the Plate (5). Examples from Mt. Bradley, California, are often very dark, 

 not fulvous but brown, the females well silvered. Mormonia is not distinguish- 

 able in the original description from Egleis, and in the Latin synopsis of charac- 

 ters at the head of each description the same words are used for both, except 

 that for Egleis the spots of the under side are said to be silvered or pale, whereas 

 in Mormonia they are said to be silvered only. Dr. Boisduval sent me the male 

 of Egleis and female of Mormonia, and there is no more difference between the 

 two than would belong to different sexes. 



The species is widespread, occupying northern California, and especially 

 Nevada. It flies also in Utah, near Salt Lake, and in northern Colorado, though 

 it seems nowhere to be common in this last-named State. Mr. Mead took large 

 numbers in 1878, at Summit, Nevada, and the same year Mr. Morrison also col- 

 lected in Nevada. I had the opportunity of examining all the variations in both 

 collections. Besides the Nevada examples, I have at different times received 

 many from Mts. Bradley and Shasta, from Mr. Behrens. 



Mr. Mead (1878) sent me from Summit several eggs of Egleis, laid on violet 

 by a female in confinement, and they hatched on or about the 18th August. 

 The larvte at once went into lethargy, as is the case with all the larger Argynnid 

 larvoB of the later generation, or all larvae where there is but one annual genera- 



