Ikpidoptera of the Altai Mountains. 351 



hitherto only known from arctic America, though I have 

 not yet had an opportunity of comparing them, 



136. Erehomorpha (gen. no v.) parmenio, Boeb. 



I first saw this butterfly on July 2nd, flying before a 

 strong wind. It had a very peculiar flight like nothing 

 I had ever seen before, and after pursuing it for about 

 a mile on horseback I finally succeeded in catching 

 it by getting down wind of it and waiting for it. A 

 week later it became very common in a broad gravelly 

 flat intersected by arms of the river, and covered with 

 a rich flora of beautiful flowering plants and grasses 

 growing amongst the stones; and by July 15th it became 

 one of the most abundant butterflies all over the dry 

 parts of the country, extending up to quite 7000 feet, 

 and was last seen in the Bashkaus Valley at about 4000 

 feet on July 25th, when it was worn out and nearly 

 over. The flight of this butterfly is quite unlike that 

 of any other Urehia I know, and this in conjunction with 

 its very short antennjB, great difference of size and shape 

 in the sexes, and other peculiarities inclines me to put 

 it in a new genus for which I propose the name of 

 jErebomorpha. In my last revision of Erebia I grouped 

 it with myops, maracaiulica, radians, kahnuha, hades, and 

 herse, to all of which its venation is somewhat similar. 

 Dr. Chapman, however {cf. Trans. Ent. Soc. Lond., 1898, 

 p. 233) states that myops is not an Erebia and comes 

 nearest to Gcenomjmpha ; in this I am willing to agree 

 with him. Maracandica, halmuka, and radians may be 

 grouped with it, but hades and herse seem to go better with 

 Faralasa, Moore. The clasp-form of parmenio according 

 to Chapman is nearest to that of afra, and it may be that 

 these two species are more nearly allied than their super- 

 ficial appearance would lead one to suppose, but I have 

 never seen the last alive. Parmenio ditfers in its manner 

 of flight from any butterfly known to me, flapping slowly 

 along near the ground with its hind-wings in a different 

 plane from the fore- wings ; it settles on grasses, and where 

 it is abundant rises in swarms before one's horse's feet 

 and flaps slowly out of the way, unless the wind is strong, 

 when it is liable to be carried off to a considerable distance. 

 The females come out about a week after the males, and 

 were common on July 11th; they can be recognised by 

 their weak jerking flight and are very easy to catch. 



