188G.] MR. H. J. ELUES ON THE GENUS PARNASSIUS. 2/ 



Parnassius notnion, Fisch. de Waldli. Eat. Russ. ii. p. 242, pi. 6 

 (1823-4). 



This species, though at first sight very like P. apollo, may be cer- 

 tainly and constantly distinguished by the fringes of the wings, which 

 are conspicuously chequered black and white ; whilst in P. apollo this 

 is never the case to the same extent, though some specimens have 

 a tendency to it. The pouch also (though of the same general form) 

 is black, more lengthened behind, and set on at the end, and not 

 underneath the abdomen ; the antennae, the clothing of the body, 

 and the general pattern of the markings are very similar. 



I am not aware that the geographical range of the two species any- 

 where meets, P. iiomion first appearing in the mountains of Dahuria, 

 whilst P. apollo seems to go no farther east than the Altai Mountains ; 

 but these ranges on the Siberian frontier are but little known,. 



P. nomion appears to be common in the valley of the Amur, at 

 Raddefskaia and Khabarofka, and Christoph found the larva feeding 

 on a yellow-flowered <SW(<m near Vladivostock. According to Mene- 

 tries P. nomion is found near Irkutsk and at Kiachta, and I have 

 seen a specimen from this locahty in Dr. Fixen's collection. 



Bremer says that it is fovmd on the north side of Lake Baikal on 

 the Onon river, and on the Ussuri between Noor and the Ema; the 

 largest and finest specimens are from the Bureija Mountains, and 

 farther west they become smaller. 



M. Charles Oberthiir says in a letter that he has received P. nomion 

 from the Abbe David, who found it in the mountains of North China ; 

 he has also very curious specimens from Sidemi in Mantchuria taken 

 by Jankowsky, which resemble the P. nomion of California, of which 

 he has also an authentic specimen from the collection of Boisduval. 

 This is probably the one mentioned by Boisduval in his list of the 

 Butterflies of California. With regard to the occurrence of the species 

 in N.W. America, there is, however, some doubt, for though Mr. H. 

 Edwards says it has beeu taken in Alaska, and that he has seen a 

 specimen in a collection from the Cariboo mining district in British 

 Columbia, whilst Mr. W. H. Edwards includes it in his catalogue 

 as from Alaska and Sitka (coll. Behr), yet I have never seen or 

 heard of any true P. nomion in the numerous collections made in the 

 Rocky Mountains of late years. 



I have, however, a female specimen of P. smititheus, var. sai/i, 

 which might very well be considered as a small form of notnion, and 

 I am not able to find any-good character by which to separate it. 



Indeed, it is quite possible that P. nomion represents P. smintheus 

 on the North-western coasts of America, and that Mr. Reakirts idea, 

 cf. supra, that they have sprung from the same stock, is a 

 correct view, though it would be a very curious fact in distribution if 

 it was found that the two species come together in N.W. America, 

 whilst in North-east Asia, as far as one can judge, from the very 

 scanty materials which exist, P. nomion and P. delius remain distinct. 



P. nomion varies considerably, but not so much as some species of 



