February iSoo.] 



PSYCHE. 



309 



stand their conclusions, than blame me 

 for not adopting what I cannot see : — 

 "The Argynnides of the western slope, 

 or Pacific side of the Rocky Mountains, 

 are without doubt, if we except, perhaps, 

 the Coliades, the most difficult of all the 

 North American Diurnae to deal with, 

 as they not only run into certain varia- 

 tions, but again into subvariations, or 

 even further. The two species monti- 

 cola and zercne^ first considered identi- 

 cal by Dr. Boisdiival, are perliaps the 

 most perplexing; each of the-<e bears the 

 same relation to some of their varieties 

 as does niobe to its var. eris and adippe 

 to cleodoxa^ but presenting by no means 

 the stability of forms of these European 

 variations, but branching out into endless 

 and endless varieties until the student is 

 completely at a loss to know where or 

 to w'hat they may belong." 



Scudder, in the 'Butterflies of New 

 England,' has figured the abdominal 

 organs of several species of Argynnis 

 on plate 33 which gives an opportunity 

 of comparing some nearly allied spe- 

 cies. Those of A. cybe/e, fig. 44, A. 

 ap/irodite, fig. 40, are vt-ry similar in- 

 deed, but as they do not appear to agree 

 exactly wdth the descriptions, and the 

 figure i>ithatoi aphrodiie is not alluded 

 to in the description on p. 565, I do 

 not know whether the description was 

 made from the same specimens figured, 

 and whether we are to attribute the 

 difference to variation, or to incorrect 

 drawing. The clasper of atlantis fig. 

 36, also much resembles those of cybele 

 and aphrodite., but has the hook longer 

 and nearer the clasp. The figure of the 



androconia of these three species, plate 

 46, figs. 12, 13, 14, are also very similar, 

 and, taken in connection with the clasp- 

 ers, do not lead one to suppose that very 

 much help will be given in deciding the 

 relationship of nearly allied species in 

 this genus b}' a microscopic exami- 

 nation. The claspers of A. myrina., 

 bellona., and montinus^ plate 33, figs. 

 35, 38, 42, all included by Scudder in 

 the genus Brenthis., show a general 

 similarity of form inter se., with the same 

 minor differences as those of cybele., 

 aphrodite and atlantis. I at first sup- 

 posed that some difference might be 

 found in the scales clothing the median 

 veins in the males, but on examination 

 with a powerful lens idalia is the only 

 North American species in which the 

 raising is conspicuous, though in some 

 specimens of atlantis and aphrodite., 

 and others, it is clearly perceptible. 

 The tuft of silky hairs on the subcostal 

 nerve is present in the males of all the 

 larger species that I have examined, and 

 is very conspicuous in idalia., but I 

 have not found it in the smaller species 

 w'hich have been separated under the 

 genus Brenthis. 



A. idalia and A. diarta are two of 

 the most beautiful species in the whole 

 genus, and may be said to form the best 

 links between those species of Eastern 

 Asia, which end the Palaearctic series, 

 and the American species, which are 

 isolated from them. A. diana has the 

 sexes more different than any except 

 sagana^ and if the genus w^as divided 

 into groups would be another instance 

 of an American species having its 



