3] 2 



PSYCHE. 



[Febni;iiy 1S90. 



by far the most interesting insect In the 

 whole collection." 



A. aphrodite is a verj' wide-ranguig 

 species, which varies enough in the 

 Western States to ha\'e received at least 

 three names, for I cannot see how to 

 distinguish alcestis or halcyone in tlic 

 perfect state, though Edwards savs the 

 ]ar\a of alcestis is different, and phices 

 halycoiie in a different subgroup with 

 cor on is., calippe., and cd-vardsi., on 

 account of the larger and more egg- 

 shaped form of the silver spots on the 

 under side. When, however, a good 

 series is compared together (I have six- 

 teen males and twelve females of this 

 group from various States) , I cannot 

 see that his supposd distinctions are con- 

 stant, and though itaiisicaa., of which 

 I have four males and five females, taken 

 by Messrs. Hulst and Morrison, is dis- 

 tinctly of a deeper red on the upper sur- 

 face than any of the rest, yet its under 

 side, like that of halcyone., has nothing 

 sufficiently marked to distinguish it. Mr. 

 Ed\\ards perhaps would say that my 

 halcyone^ which were sent by Mr. 

 Strecker, and taken near Denver, are 

 not true to name ; but what else can 

 they be from that locality.? It only shows 

 that if a describer of insects does not 

 make his descriptions sufficientlv com- 

 parative and clear to be followed 

 by others, he must not be surprised if 

 others refuse to accept them. Larval 

 characters alone, which are liable to 

 vary like those of the perfect insect, and 

 which cannot be easily compared by 



inclined to the belief tliat it is the male of the above 

 described form of nokomis. 



others, are not in my opinion sufficient. 



With regard to A. iiaiisicaa., however, 

 I see a point not alluded to by Mr. 

 Edw'ards, which may be sufficient to 

 separate it, namely, the much less 

 abundant and shorter tuft of hairs on 

 the subcostal vein of the hind wing in 

 the males. This tuft is prominent in 

 all males of ap/iroditc, alcestis and 

 halcyonc which I have examined ; in 

 iiaiisicaa it is much less ccjnspicuous, 

 and, taken in conjunction with the 

 isolated habitat and deeper color, is 

 probably enough to distinguish it. 



A. ailantis is another species which 

 I find it uncommonlv difficult to decide 

 about, not so much w hen the eastern 

 form alone is before me, but when the 

 numerous western species or forms 

 have to be considered. Mr. Edwards 

 has got over the difficulty bv naming 

 them all separately, and Mr. Scudder, 

 though he was not perhaps obliged to 

 mention them in the 'Butterflies of 

 New England,' savs nothing as to their 

 verv near relationship. He remarks 

 as follows: — "There is no need of 

 confounding this species with either 

 of the preceding \^aphrodite and 

 cybele^ : it is smaller than they, duller 

 in tint above, has a blackish border to 

 all the wings in both sexes, and more 

 continuous mesial band on the upper 

 surface of the hind wings ; the darker 

 colors of the under surface of hind wings 

 are deeper in hue than in either of them, 

 while the buft' belt is wider than that 

 o'i aphrodite and narrower than that of 

 cybele ; the buft' scales on the basal 

 half of the win<>- also assume more im- 



