38 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



large bluish patch, interrupted by the nervules, on the under 

 surface of these wings, occupying the position of the usual short 

 white band from costa. 



In many respects this form of V. atalanta is analogous to 

 V. cardui var. elymi, Kambur, of which slightly modified examples 

 have been observed in England, and one of these is figured, 

 Entom. xiii. 73. Rambur's variety of V. cardui, as figured by 

 Honrath (Berl. Ent. Zeit. xxxii. pi. vii. fig. 3), has the fore wings 

 black ; the tawny colour forms a patch in discoidal cell, almost 

 bisected by an encroachment of the black from above, and a 

 patch in the submedian and each median interspace, decreasing 

 in size upwards ; on the apical area there is a series of five elon- 

 gate white spots, and a similar shaped pale spot in each interspace 

 below, forming with the apical ones a transverse series of spots. 

 Hind wings tawny ; venation black, widening out on hind marginal 

 area ; the basal half of costal area is black, and there are some 

 internervular white streaks becoming fainter towards abdominal 

 margin. 



A transverse series of white or whitish spots on the submar- 

 ginal area and absence of white markings about the middle of 

 costal area of primaries are characters common to V. cardui var. 

 elymi and the variety of V. atalanta here figured. In otherwise 

 typical specimens of both species an extra white spot in first 

 median interspace is found, and modification of the other white 

 markings is also exhibited. 



V. cardui would appear to have a greater range of variation 

 than has yet been observed in V. atalanta, as, in addition to 

 aberration in the markings of fore wings already adverted to, 

 there is considerable variation in the pattern of hind wings ; 

 thus we find that some examples have the black transverse 

 markings very broad and intensely black, sometimes they are 

 only faintly interrupted, but in a few examples completely 

 obliterated ; the black spots of central series are sometimes 

 almost united with those of the submarginal series, in other 

 examples the central spots are pupilled with blue, as in var. 

 kershatvi ; and in others, again, both series are entirely absent, 

 as in var. elymi. 



Var. kershatvi, McCoy, differs from typical V. cardui only in 

 its darker colour on both surfaces, and in the size of the blue 

 pupils on the ocelli of hind wings. This form was originally 

 described as a distinct species peculiar to Australia, but the same 

 aberration occurs in Europe, and has been found in England. A 

 figure of this fprm will be found, Entom. vi. p. 345, and Newman's ^ 

 Brit. Butt. p. 64. 



At a meeting of the South Lond. Ent. and Nat. Hist. Soc, 

 held 25th November, 1892, Mr. Jenner Weir exhibited specimens 

 of Pyrameis (Vanessa) cardui, which he had received from Larimer 

 County, Colorado, captured at an elevation of upwards of 7000 



