1 904] FIELD : — BASILARCHIA 3 



species. Scudder ('72) treated it as a variet>' of astyanax, and in criticising this 

 view Edwards ( '73) suggested that it might be a dimorphic form of arthemis. The 

 discovery of "other varieties oi proserpina'''' led Scudder ('75) to adopt this view 

 tentatively, though he suggested OadX proserpina might prove to be a hybrid between 

 arthemis and astyanax. Two years later Edwards ( '77) announced the rearing of 

 larvae from eggs laid by a captured proserpina ; ^ four came to maturity, giving three 

 typical arthemis (or form lamina, as he then designated it) and one proserpina 

 closely resembling astyanax."^ After another space of two years, Edwards ( '79) 

 published a full account of his studies oi proserpina, including an exhaustive list of 

 localities in which it had been taken, and a history of the breeding experiments. 

 On the plate accompanying this was figured a "variety " oi proserpina, the oft-quoted 

 specimen from Mr. Mead's collection.^ This will be referred to later. 



One of the most noteworthy features oi proserpina is its distribution, which is 

 almost wholly confined to the narrow zone in which the ranges of arthemis and 

 astyanax overlap. 



2. B. arthechippus Scudder, (Plate II., figs. 2, 3), generally regarded as a 

 hybrid between arthemis and archippits, was described from a specimen taken at 

 Chateauguay Basin, Quebec, in 1879, by Mr. J. G. Jack.* 



The specimens here figured were taken in Alstead, N. H., by the Field 

 brothers, in 1895 and 1896 ; still another was seen on the wing in the same locality 

 in 1902, but not captured. The three above mentioned are now in the Museum 

 of Comparative Zoology. 



Arthechippus exhibits a very thorough mingling of the characters of its sup- 

 posed parents, and the three specimens preserved are almost exactly ahke in 

 appearance. All three are males ; whether females ever occur remains to be seen. 



3. An unnamed Basilarchia, apparently a hybrid between astyanax and 

 archippus, is represented by fig. 4 on Plate I. This specimen was obtained by Mr. 

 A. P. Morse from Sherborn, Mass., and is a male. The ground color is mahogany 

 brown ; the spots of the inner row are deep orange, those of the outer row some- 

 what paler. There are no blue markings. 



Mr. Jacob Doll has a similar specimen which was taken on Long Island, and 

 one or two others have been reported. 



iThe male which had impregnated this female was of course unknown. 



2 Basilarchia astyanax = Ursula Fab. Edwards employs the latter name. 



3 This " variety " has also been figured by Scudder ('89) and Holland ('99), the latter failing to mention the fact that it 

 is not a typical /roj^r//«a. The specimen reproduced herewith as fig. 6 on Plate III. resembles it closely, but lacks some 

 of the red markings. 



■* Scudder ('89) refers to a second specimen, described by Edwards. This is an error; both Edwards and Scudder had 

 seen the same specimen. 



