226 



PSYCHE. 



[April 1895. 



lot of Heclas ; and it is not a legitimate 

 conclusion that because one or two 

 Meadii in a hundred are of about the 

 same shade of orange usual in Hecia, 

 therefore Meadii and Hecla constitute 

 one species. Comparing jMcadii as a 

 species with Hecla as a species we 

 find, as might be expected, the color 

 diflerence not a definite character. But 

 we also find that the two species show 

 ver\' different averages as to color, and 

 that it is descriptively accurate to call 

 Meadii i\ red-orange species, and Hecla 

 a pale-orange species. That one is in 

 general a red species, and the other a 

 paler species, is no proof that they are 

 distinct. Equally, the fact that some 

 Meadii are not so red as others does 

 not prove that all Meadii are Hecla., 

 nor even that some Meadii ave Hecla. 

 In Meadii male the basal patch of 

 erected and densely crowded scales 

 near costa above secondary wing, — 

 the " gland," the " mealy spot," etc. — 

 is well developed. It is moderately 

 variable in shape and size. In color it 

 varies from pallid yellow (nearly white) 

 to orange, and is often partially tinged 

 with red. Hecla lacks this peculiar 

 cluster of metamorphosed scales, and 

 its absence proves a difficult fact alike 

 to those who incline to consider Elis 

 nearer to Hecla than to Meadii., and to 

 those who do not perceive any other 

 distinction between Hecla and Meadii. 

 Elis presents this structure about as in 

 Meadii, as to form, size, and color. 

 One Elis male partly approaching 

 Christina in general markings has the 

 scale-patch especially feeble, not ncarh 



of the usual size and definitenc-ss : this 

 specimen is decidedly abnormal in 

 appearance, and it is almost the only 

 Colias example I have seen with char- 

 acters suggestive of hvbrid origin. 

 From correspondents I learn that of 

 late diligent search has been made for 

 specimens of Hecla male endowed with 

 the cluster of modified scales. This is 

 expecting too much of Hecla. Being 

 the older form, and having long lived 

 under the present restrictive conditions, 

 it is not likely to develop progressive 

 variations. More plausible would be 

 a search for occasional retrogressive 

 variations in JMeadii or Elis aflecting 

 this structure. Piemising the descent 

 of Meadii from the earlier stock resem- 

 bling Hecla, we may infer that the 

 initial development of this peculiar 

 scale structure occurred as an earlv 

 incident in the differentiation of the 

 new species. Should an occasional 

 Meadii or Elis occur lacking this 

 structure such finds would be of great 

 interest as indicating the present degree 

 of mobility of the species' character. 

 But occurrences like those would not 

 be of the slightest force as proving 

 Hecla and Meadii identical. Quite 

 the reverse, for the extreme infrequencv 

 of the exceptions would emphasize the 

 relative universality of the normal 

 tendency. No examples of Elis or 

 Aleadii males lacking this structure 

 ha\'e as yet been detected. Aleadii, 

 being exceedingly stable in its averages, 

 is probably no longer subject to so 

 decisive a reversion. Should a rever- 

 sionary Meadii be found with this 



