177 



large, yellow, without border, the under side is exactly as in the male, 

 except that the hue corresponds with that of the upper surface. 



Dr. Hagen affects to doubt that this $ on the Plate belongs to the 

 $ Christina, and in several places he makes a point of treating my de- 

 termination of the sexes of a species as of little value, having " no 

 warrant except that they arrived in the same lot." There were 351? 

 of this "lot," received from the portage of Slave River in 1862. Lepi- 

 dopterists know well enough that as a rule the pattern of the under 

 side of the two sexes in most species, and particularly in Colias, is 

 identical, and mistakes of the kind spoken of can rarely happen. On 

 p. 163, we read " I have 2 C/irisiifia $ collected in Oregon, and W. T., 

 entirely like, the figured one." (How does the doctor know that these, 

 which he next says are Edwardsii, are Christina ?) " They were col- 

 lected among the numerous Edwardsii, and are entirely pale without 

 a border. As similar ones, with a faint beginning of a border were 

 taken in cop. with Edtvardsii, there can be no doubt that the females 

 without border also belong to Edwardsii." Also, " it would certainly 

 need a stronger proof to consider these males of Christina as a separ- 

 ate species, the more so as they are associated with an undoubtedly 

 female of Edwardsii?' This is a sample of the logic of this paper. 

 The Doctor never saw a Christina in either sex, but the female in the 

 Plate has no border a female Edwardsii with no border was taken in 

 W. T., and because it has no border it is assumed to be Christina, and 

 therefore the female Christina is undoubtedly an Edivardsii. Plates 

 are deceiving,and resemblance is not identity. Suppose the Doctor had 

 examined the original $ Christina which stands in my collection, and 

 had compared it with the females of true Edwardsii, which I could 

 have showed him many of ! 



As to the 5 we have this lucid observation, " I have not seen Ed- 

 7vardsii with such an orange patch, but as similar varieties are record- 

 ed for Palwno from Greenland by Scoresby,* for Pelidne from Labra- 

 dor by Moschler, for Philodice by W. H. Edwards, there is no impro- 

 bability that some may exist oi Edwardsii.''' I call that reading a species 

 out of court by inuendoes, inferences and surmises. Well, in the year of 

 grace, 1883, a host oi $ 9. Christina have been taken in British America 

 by Capt. Geddes, and I have had the pleasure of inspecting them. 

 And am happy to be able to assure my dubitating friend that the two 

 sexes are really as set forth in my Plate, but that not only are there 

 immaculate yellow females,but there are females with more or less of a 

 border, and with more or less of orange from a delicate flush to a 

 pretty decided hue. 



And now a few words as to Astra;a, which the Doctor sniffs at con- 

 temptuously. This was described from a damaged male taken in 

 Yellowstone region in 1872. I afterwards had a second male from 



In 1822, and a tint of orange, and no other example recorded for the sixty years fol- 

 lowing. Now, who can vouch for Sconjsby, or could swear that he was not talking of 

 Boothii or Hecla or what not? Indeed, in Ent. M. Mag. XIX., p. 42, is a communi- 

 cation from Dr. Hagen, dated 5th May, 1883, announcing his discovery of Scoresby 's 

 mention of this Greenland butterfly, and the Doctor suggests that what Scoresby called 

 Palixno may have been Hecla glacialis ', Just so. 



