PROCEEDINGS, 1920 27 



Bracteatus has been recorded as occurring on Vancouver Island (2), 

 but during four years' collecting I have not as yet come across any 

 specimens that could be referred to this species. 



I wish to express my acknowledgments to Dr. H. M. Parshley who 

 has assisted me by sending specimens of Apateticus bracteatus for com- 

 parison and a copy of Uhler's original description. 



REFERENCES 



(1) Uhler, P. R.. Trans. Maryland Ac. Sci., 1: pp. 383-394, 1897. 



(2) Van Duzee, E. P.. Catalogue of Heniiptera of N. A., 1917. 



THE GENUS ARGYNNIS IN BRITISH COLUMBIA 



By E. H. Blackmore, F.E.S. 



The genus Argynnis, or, as they are commonly called. Fritillaries 

 or Silver-spots, belong to the family Nymphalidae or brush-footed 

 butterflies, so called on account of the first pair of legs being aborted, 

 and folded in front of them, thus being of no use for walking purposes. 



This genus is one of the largest in this family; it is well represented 

 in Europe, and is found in Asia, China and Japan. Several specfes are 

 found in Australia, and two or three species in Africa, but it is in North 

 America that it has found its greatest development. They are found 

 on high mountains up to the timber limit, and at lower elevations down 

 to sea-level, but they are, generally speaking, a mountain-loving group. 



The species' composing this genus are of moderate or large size, 

 and are distinguished by their bright tawny or fulvous colour, with well 

 defined black markings, which consist of waved transverse lines and 

 rounded or triangular markings on the outer borders. 



A great many species so closely approximate each other that great 

 difficulty is experienced in separating them satisfactorily ; most of the 

 eastern species have had their life histories carefully worked out, so that 

 not much difficulty is now experienced in determining them, but it is 

 our western forms that have caused the most trouble to students of this 

 genus. JVIany different causes are responsible for this confusion; in 

 some cases the limits of variation are not very well known ; and in 

 others, species intergrade with each other so that in a long series it is 

 hard to tell where one species leaves oflf and another one begins. Mis- 

 identifications and confusion of species by some of the older authors led 

 to a great deal of trouble in this respect. In some cases descriptions 

 have not been detailed enough to allow of a definite placing of species, 

 and have been so vaguely worded that they will allow two or three 

 dififerent forms to fit it in a more or less satisfactory manner. 



Fortunately, for present day systematists. Dr. Wm. Barnes some 

 years ago — 1913, to be exact — sent Dr. J. McDunnough to Europe for 



