57 



mark Oregonia is curiously near an occasional Asterias, as seen in 

 fig. 3 ; also, perhaps, still nearer to Bairdii, as seen on the plate 

 in But. N. A., fig. 4. That is the single approach which Oregonia 

 makes to the Asterias type, and here is another hint of a remote 

 common ancestor. Oregonia certainly never got that peculiar 

 mark from MacJiaon. To show the two together is sufficient. 

 No large number of the former species have yet been taken, but 

 this mark is constant so far, and no case of reversion to a blind 

 ocellus with a Machaon rim is reported. On the other hand, no evi- 

 dence is forthcoming that the Oregonia style of ocellus ever has 

 appeared in a Machaoji, and on both sides there would be cases 

 of reversion had there been derivation. 



I do not at all understand why Dr. Hagen did not see fit to 

 institute a careful comparison between the larvae of Zolicaon and 

 Oregonia, and both with MacJiaon. All the materials were at his 

 hand, so far as relates to the final stages of the several caterpillars. 

 He says the party took two mature larvae of Oregonia, one of which 

 Mr. Stretch carried to imago, " which proved to be Oregonia.^ 



Inasmuch as Mr. H. Edwards has this imago and says it is 

 Oregonia, I accept the statement. The relation proceeds : " The 

 caterpillar is very similar to that oi MacJiaon in form, color aiid 

 pattern. As I am very well acquainted with the latter, I directly 

 remarked a difference," specifying a single difference in the cross 

 band of second segment, and nothing more. Now, the facts are 

 these : Asterias, Brevicauda, Zolicaon and MacJiaon have their 

 mature larvae similar in form and color. Therefore, these two 

 features in the comparison may pass for nothing. As to pattern, 

 it is another matter. Fortunately, I have the colored figure of 

 one of these Oregonia caterpillars, by Mr. Stretch, who also made 

 the figure of Zolicaon caterpillar given in But. N. A. And both 

 the original drawings lie before me. I have a colored figure of 

 the same stage of MacJiaon (of course, typical), executed for me 

 expressly, by Dr. Weismann himself. And I say, that this Ore- 

 gonia larva differs decidedly in the pattern of the markings from 

 either of the other two. Zolicaon and Oregonia differ between 

 themselves, but both are nearer to Asterias than to MacJiaon. I 

 intend to figure the larva of Oregonia, in Part XII, But. N. A., 

 Vol. 2, this spring, and on same plate I will put this larva of 

 MacJiaon. Till then 1 must ask my readers to take my word that 

 they exhibit striking and specific differences, f 



* All through the paper the Doctor persists in calling this species OrcgoniuSy '"Ore^oniits, not 

 Oregonia. as Mr. iidwards writes," p. 151. I shall file a caveat to protect the name T christened this 

 species with. Why does the Doctor not talk about Aliaskus ? When 1 give a species a name I ex- 

 pect it to travel under it henceforth. 



t Dr. Hagen gives us much lore about the larva of Machaon from the books, to make good his 

 proposition, that, as the imago shows a large variation in color, so the caterpillar and chrysalis " also 

 differ considerably.'' But the onlv deviation from the green and typical mature caterpillar shown is 

 a black form, which occasionally appea s. That is, the black color of the larval stages which precede 

 the last stage is projected into that ; a kind of variation that might be expected. None of the cases 

 cited at all concern Oregonia or Zolicaon. 



