314 J. A. LINTNER. 



but are reticulated with the brown of the alternations of the costal spots. 

 Both wings in the % are beautifully and distinctly variegated with light 

 and dark brown; on superiors, a costo-subapical violet shade, and inner 

 margin of inferiors glossed with violet. The 9 ; of a duller brown, and 

 less variegated with dark brown on the basal half; the superiors faint- 

 ly glossed with violet, the inferiors conspicuously so. A submarginal 

 series of crescents of violet colored seale.<, forms in the S a connect- 

 ed band except at the apex, in the $ an interrupted one. Before and 

 parallel to this in the % , the inferiors have a dark brown band extend- 

 ing from the anal to nearly the anterior angle, contracted centrally and 

 at its extremities. Within this band, between the nervules, is a row 

 of rounded spots of lighter brown, pupilled with black; these spots, but 

 without the enclosing band, are better defined and more distinctly pu- 

 pillated on the primaries. In the 9 ) instead of the dark band on the 

 inferiors, there is simply an interruption of the violet shading, in which 

 space are the rounded pupillated spots; on the superiors, the spots are 

 obsolete, but the pupils distinct; in inferrogationis 9 , these pupillated 

 spots do not appear. The silver diseal character is similar in outline 

 to that of interroijati.onis but more delicate, its upper portion being 

 sometimes divided in two parts. Palpi above, dotted with a few light 

 fulvous scales, barely visible without a lens. Expanse of wings, S 2.25, 

 9 2.50 inches. Described from four % , nine 9 • 



It is not a little singular that this species should for so long a time, 

 liave escaped detection, but the probable reason may be found in its 

 compai'atively rare occurrence preventing the bringing together of suf- 

 ficient numbers to show the constaiicy of its characteristic features. 

 Its marked difference of color has long been known, and had lent to it 

 in ordinary reference, the designation of ''the black variety." Harris 

 in 1841 in^his Report on the Insects of ^Massachusetts, refers to it in 

 his description of interroyationls thus : '-hind wings in the male most 

 often black above, except at the base, and sometimes of this color in the 

 other sex also." The occurrence of both sexes, afforded suffiiient evi- 

 dence of its n3t being a sexual variety, which it was thought by many 

 to be, and its association with interrojationis in New England, Xew 

 York and elsewhere, proved it not to be a casual result of local influen- 

 ces. It does not appear to have been particularly described even as a 

 variety. The figures of interrogationis of Cramer and of Sm.-Abb.. 

 represent the posterior half of the secondaries black merging into dark 

 fulvous, but these are probably only exaggerations of coloring, for the 

 outline of the wings in both cases, is that of mterrogationis. Were 



