MELIT^EA 11. 



diving down the precipices on one side the county road, or climbing the heights 

 on the other, with all the impediments of bramble and underbrush, and that at a 

 temperature never under 80' Far., all June 100^, and now again in August, 100^ 

 every day. Both Iduna and Ruhicunda females seem to avoid the flight up 

 from the deep gulch." Mr. Behrens notices that the males adhere tenaciously 

 to the net, by reason of the strength of the claws or feet, more so than other 

 Melitseas he was accustomed to take. 



No doubt the food-plants of Ruhicunda are same as those of tlie allied species, 

 Scrophularia, Penstemon, Castelleia, etc., which grow either in the gulches or the 

 open fields, and there is where the females would congregate. 



Mr. Henry Edwards writes : " The home of Rnhlcmida is Mendocino County. 

 This is in the coast range of mountains, about one hundred miles from San 

 Francisco, north. It is mostly pine forest, and it would appear that it is not a 

 rich butterfly country, as this species and Chionobas Iduna are the only things 

 of importance found there." 



On loolving over old letters of Mr. 0. T. Baron, I find several mentions of 

 Ruhicunda. On 11th May, 1880, he writes from Mendocino: "For the first 

 time I have the caterpillars of Ruhicimda and Baroni side by side for compari- 

 son. They resemble each other much, but still if they were mixed up I would 

 pick either kind out without a single mistake." On November 20th : " Ridri- 

 cunda I caught in Eden Valley, Mendocino County ; also fifteen miles north of 

 Ukiah, the county-seat, and on the head waters of the Big River, eighteen miles 

 west of Ukiah. Eden Valley is about 3000 feet above the level of the sea ; the 

 other places mentioned have about 1500 feet elevation. I have also raised two 

 or three specimens of the same insect from caterpillars found on two different 

 plants, the one, I think, a species of Castelleia, the other I do not know. The 

 caterpillar is certainly distinct from that of Baroni and feeds on different plants. 

 I shall be able to give you the whole history in the coming spring, and also 

 send the larva, pupa, and probably eggs." Unfortunately, I never received any 

 of these stages, Mr. Baron soon after having left that region. 



Mr. Morrison took Ruhicunda on Mt. Hood, Oregon. 



