the genus Erebia. 339 



Von Gumppenberg into three species, namely, tyndarus, 

 of which he makes callias, Edw., the Colorado form, a 

 variety; dromus, H.-S., of which he makes hispanica, 

 Butl., a variety; and ottomana, H.-S. Staudinger 

 makes both dromus, ottomana, hispanica, and sihirica 

 simple varieties of tyndarus. My own collection of this 

 species is very rich, comprising 30 specimens selected 

 out of hundreds from the Alps, 30 from the Pyrenees, 

 18 from the Sierra Nevada of Spain, 3 from the moun- 

 tains of Asturias, 4 from Greece and Asia Minor, 5 from 

 the Caucasus, 1 from Siberia, and 12 from Colorado. 

 After a careful study of them I am unable to separate 

 any except ottomana, as a variety, which is sufficiently 

 fixed and invariable to be constantly recognised ; though 

 hispanica is easily distinguishable from the alpine form, 

 and only connected with it through the very variable 

 forms of dromus which occur in the Pyrenees. I can 

 give no opinion as to the variety sihirica from Tarba- 

 gatai, which Staudinger says forms a transition to otto- 

 mana, and if this is so, it may be that even ottomana is 

 not capable of exact definition, though it is certainly 

 very unlike the typical tyndarus, and would, without the 

 intermediate forms, be considered abundantly distinct. 

 As to callias, I feel confident that it is at best but a 

 variety, the only character by which I can recognise it being 

 that the reddish patch on the fore wing below is extended 

 inwards parallel to the costa in a manner which is only 

 occasionally seen in other forms ; though this character 

 is found in some specimens from Asturias, Greece, the 

 Caucasus, and Siberia. Von Gumppenberg gives as a 

 character, *' Alls post, subtus nigro-punctatis," but this 

 is not constant in Colorado specimens, or always absent 

 in European ones. 



E. gorge is another very variable species confined to 

 the Alps and Pyrenees, in both of which it frequents 

 only high elevations. Von Gumppenberg separates 

 triopes as a species on account of the supposed difference 

 in its habitat and habits, but I have taken both flying 

 together both in the Engadine and on the Albula Pass. 

 As to the variety gorgone from the Pyrenees, I must 

 repeat what I said in these ' Transactions,' 1887, p. 398, 

 viz., that though typical gorgone seems fairly distinct, 

 yet it seems to be connected with gorge, also found in 

 the Pyrenees, by intermediate forms. 



