MELITAEA. By Dr. A. Seitz. 431 



black with nunieroxis larger spots of sulplmr-yellow, only at the apex of tlie forewing some small fulvous spots. 

 Underneath the forewings are fulvous, the hindwings handed with brown and yellow. — Egg at first pale 

 yellow, later on darker; catei-pillar full grown black, finely speckled with white, with single black spines, shaded 

 with orange-red (dorsally) or blackish-blue ringed with orange, but longer than in phctrton ; head bifid, lilack, 

 flat. Pupa pearly-white, sliaded with yellow, marked with fine black dots and streaks; abdomen ringed with 

 chains of small orange tubercles. The caterpillar feeds on Scrophularia, also on Dipsacus, Castileja and Lonicera. 

 Imago from April to the middle of July, forming two broods gradually passing into one another, but in 

 the northerjimost part of its range only one lirood. ,j" is a strong flier; it has the habit of chasing and 

 driving away othei' butterflies; ciuite common in the Pacific .States, especially in northern (Jalifornia. The 

 clumsy $ flies but little; the species, especially the ',', is very variable, some specimens being altogethei' black, 

 others cpiite yellow. These variations were descriljcd as fusimarula and marianii: also cases of aberrative 

 colouring are known, as f. i. diriucllei H. Edir.. whit'h has either the ground-colour of the forewings or 

 the spots coloured ochreous-brown . 



M. cooperi Behr. { = perdiccas Edir.) (88 a) is considerably smaller than typical r/idlcedoii, which it greatly cooperi. 

 resembles above; but underneath the ivory-yellow spots of the liasal area on the hindwings are arranged in a 

 more regular band confluescing with the yellow spot which in chalcedon stands isolated within the redbrown 

 subbasal band; this spot is in cooperi larger. On the hindwings the ferruginous band before the outer 

 third is more strongly curved, and the yellow spots on the under surface of tin; forewings are reduced. (Ca- 

 lifornia. 



M. olanclia WriijJil (8S b). This form which, like the preceding ones, occurs in the western United olancha. 

 States, has the spots of the upper surface lesembling those of chalcedon. but whereas those in the basal area 

 are reduced in size, those of the disk and marginal area are enlarged. The usually yellow spots are, moreover, 

 in either sex both above and underneath much paler, nearly ivory-white; also the under surface, especially the 

 fulvous bands of the hindwings. paler. 



M. macglasliani Rii\ (8S b) is even larger than chalcedon, exceeding all other Melitneas in size. f^im\\-AT wacglashani. 

 to chikedon, but easily distinguished by the large reddish-brown marginal spots on both wings. x\lso in the 

 discal area we find between the pale yellow markings of the black bands brick-red spots. California; apparently 

 not scarce in certain localities. 



M. quino Behr. (88 b). Like chalcedon. the spots above smaller, but more sharply defined; differs quino. 

 especially on the under surface, where the entire markings are more varied, the spots largely divided by darker 

 stripes, with more distinct blackish borders, only a small central spot of fulvous remaining. On the forewmgs 

 the terminal pale spots are smaller, but sharper, nearly white in colour, the cell on the under surface more 

 extensivelj' marked with black. California, 



M. colon £'f/H'. (88 b) very closely resembles the preceding species, from which it represents a passage to colon, 

 chalcedon in having the brick-red marginal spots greatly reduced. Also the pale yellow spots may be much smaller 

 and paler, some of them almost white, approaching taylori from Vancouver. Like the preceding, probably 

 only a form of chalcedon. From the Columbia River District, Washington and Oregon. 



M. taylori Edic. (88 b) is even smaller than the preceding, intermediate between it and baron i which it taylori. 

 replaces in the North; the spots are much brighter and more brillant red than in the preceding; it some- 

 what resembles the European aurinia, which is the more remarkable since the larva likewise lives on Plantago. 

 Vancouver. 



M. anicia Z>6?. and Heic. nee Scudd. (88 b). Like the preceding ones closely allied to chalcedon. but <i>iicia. 

 nnich smaller; the yellow bands above narrower, duller, occasionally slightly interrupted: but the marginal 

 borders entirely fulvous, and also the black ground-colour is largely replaced by fulvous. In western North 

 America, from British Columbia to Montana and Colorado. — beaiii Skinn. (88 b) from the mountains in Alberta hmni. 

 is as a rule even smaller and darker, the markings more dull. 



M. colonia Wr. .^ with alternating brick-red and ivory-yellow rows of spots on black ground, very closely colonin. 

 resembling the European Mel. maturna. but differing in the position of the bands, as is seen in our figure 

 of the $ which latter deviates from the (^ in the reduction of the black ground-colour. Also the under surface 

 of this species which is entirely confined to the west-coast of North America, strongly reminds us of nialiirnn. 

 Ap])arently local and not far distributed. 



M. nubigena Behr (88 c) is generally larger than bea)rl and redder, the much more brillant brick-red nuhigena. 

 colouring crowding out not only the black ground-colour, Init also the yellow which is preserved distinct 

 only in the narrow macular rows in the costal area of the forewing, and in and behind the cell. Rocky 

 Mountains; quite common. — wheeleri Hy. Edw. (= capella Barn.) (88 c) is the fiery-red Californian form, wheeleri. 

 frecpently distinguished by a complete, pale macular band before tlie outer third of the forewings. — A 

 close ally is editha Bsd. (= anicia Sciidd. nee Dhl. and Heiv.) (88 b), which is the other extreme. The red edVha. 

 of the upper surface is replaced by a dull blackish-gi-ey, the yellow macular bands oblique, cUdl and pale, 

 but well developed; altogether the upper surface resembles that of a pale specimen of laylori; underneath 



