'44 



A prominent, broad, undulating black mesial band from costa to anal 

 angle, joining at latter the marginal line. A black basal dash along 

 abdominal margin, and a prominent black, discal line, resting on 

 median nervure, the inward course of which it marks in black, fringes 

 yellowish white with black, intermediate maculations. 



Beneath, primaries and secondaries milky white with black macula- 

 tions. Primaries have a distinct marginal line, anterior transverse un- 

 dulating band, large discal spot of black. Secondaries have likewise 

 the marginal line with blotches, the undulating mesial band and the 

 discal line of black. 



Expanse of wings, ^ 25 mm. ? 2 7. mm. Length of body, $ 7 

 mm. $ 8 mm. 



Habitat: Belly River, N. W. Brit. Col. (Capt. Geddes.) 



The smallest, but one of the most graceful-looking of our Synedas. 



THE MACHAON CONTROVERSY. 



Sir, — The note in the Machaon controversy in the May-June num- 

 ber of " Papilio" was written by me immediatel)^ after reading Mr. W. 

 H. Edwards' article in the March number, and was, if I mistake not, 

 in the form of a letter, as I did not consider it of sufficient importance 

 to make an article of it. Since then, however, I have been in Boston, 

 and through the kindness and courtesy of Dr. Hagen I have had an 

 opportunity of carefully examining the fine and remarkable series of 

 Papilios collected by him and his associates last summer, and my views 

 have been modified in consequence. As the result of this examina- 

 tion I find that the striped ocellus figured by Mr. Edwards as the 

 typical form in Oregonia is not at all common among these specimens, 

 most of them having the pupil broadly pear-shaped above, sometimes 

 nearly triangular and sometimes even separated from the interior anal 

 band, and so closely resembling that of Zolicaon. One specimen in 

 which the ocellus and pupil were nearest that figured as Oregonia by 

 Mr. Edwards, has a black cell and a nearly black body. One speci- 

 men has the pupil on the upper side very slightly clubbed, and sloped 

 down very near to the inner edge, so as to closely resemble in this par- 

 ticular a specimen of Machaon from Koolloo, in the Himalayas. This 

 wide variation in the form of the pupil of the ocellus is very marked. 

 Mr, Edwards says on page 55, that "the marginal yellow spots of 

 these several members of the Asterias group are very similar to those 

 of Zolicaon." From the extreme variation of these spots in these 

 specimens, I should judge that they must be worthless for the separa- 

 tion of species. 



Mr. Edwards says that these specimens are hybrids. This is, I sup- 

 pose, possible; but is it probable ? For my part, I do not believe that 

 a party collecting a large series of butterflies would find nothing but 

 hybrids, 



