55 



by these two lines in Asterias. We see a modification of the 

 Asterias marks in Indra, where the yellow dots are suppressed, 

 and in the male a dash of yellow is applied to the side at the last 

 segment ; in the female the dash is extended obscurely the length 

 of the abdomen. If it be alleged that, although Machaon and 

 Zolicaon differ in these three important points, yet they resemble 

 each other in certain other points, just as important ; viz, in the 

 size and arrangement of the yellow spots on fore wings, and in 

 the yellow base and disk of hind wings, in both which respects 

 they differ from Asterias, I would say : 



1. The marginal yellow spots of these several members of 

 the Asterias group are very similar to those of Zolicaon on both 

 wings and occupy the same positions. 



2. The spots of the discal or interior band in the Asterias 

 group occupy the same positions on the wings as do the discal 

 spots oi Zolicaon and Machaon. In these two species the spots 

 spoken of are elongated, but Bairdii has them much more elong- 

 ated than Asterias, and Aniericus still more. Indeed, this last is 

 very close to Zolicaon in this respect. The spots are long, pear- 

 shaped, instead of four-sided, but they cover nearly as much of 

 the surface as do those of Zolicaon!^ And what is especially in- 

 teresting in some examples, is that the whole of the base and disk 

 of hind wings in Aniericus is yellow just as in Zolicaonj\ We have 

 seen that Boisduval was struck with the resemblance between 

 these two species. Yet, surely, Americus stands very near the 

 other species of the Asterias group. It has the ocellus, the black 

 cell, and the male has the upper row of yellow dots on body just as 

 in Asterias. In the examples before me, the lower row is wanting, 

 and over the side to base of abdomen is a thin coating of yellow, 

 not wholly concealing the black ground. I have i <5 2 ? taken in 

 Arizona and both females have the side yellow-banded. But the 

 bodies are in so crushed and rubbed a condition that I cannot pro- 

 nounce more definitely on the marks or color of abdomen than this, 

 that the sides are certainly yellow. The male is in exellent con- 

 dition, and possesses another resemblance to Asterias in the orange 

 color of the marginal spots on hind wing below, and in orange on 

 the yellow ground next the black marginal band, in all the inter- 

 spaces. The spots of the discal band of under fore wings are 

 also orange, as in Brevicanda. I have two $ from Panama, and 

 Mr. Neumoegen has sent me i $ from Chiriqui, and the three 

 agree with the Arizona $ , except that they all have the base of 

 hind wing black. So that we have in Americus a species which 

 stands between the Asterias group and Zolicaon, and which is 



* In the figure oi'Sadalus^hy Lucas, PI. lo, Rev. et Mag. Zool., 1852, apparently a male, 

 these spots, except the two lower ones, are narrow, and lie isolated in the middle of the black inter- 

 spaces. But in all the examples of this butterfly which I have been able to examine, all the spots of 

 the series are large and pear-shaped, and in breadth extend from nervule to nervule. The femal; has 

 them larger than the male. 



t There is a variation in this respect, some examples having the hind wings crossed by abroad 

 yellow band, the base being black : while the otheri hd.ve the yellow quite up to base. 



