364 



TRAVELS AMONGST THE GREAT ANDES, chap. xix. 



that lias not been described, which was taken at 11 - 12,500 feet 

 on Pichincha and thirty - six miles away at 12,000 feet on 

 Cotocachi, and was not seen elsewhere. But, for the most part, 

 liutterflies which were taken at considerable elevations were 

 also found on the connecting, lower ground. Thus, Pleris xantlio- 

 (lice, Lucas, though captured so high as 14,000 and 15,000 feet, 

 was found everywhere in the intervening basins ; and as, even 

 had this not been so, it would need little effort for them to pass 

 from one mountain to another, and further as they may sometimes 

 suffer involuntary transportation, no particular stress can be laid 

 upon such instances of occasional recurrence at similar elevations. 



One Butterfly, however, was exceptional in being found upon 

 nearly all the mountains we visited, in numbers, and seemed to 



be established between the eleva- 

 tions 12,000 - 16,000 feet. This is 

 described by Messrs. Godman & 

 Salvin, at p. 107 of the Supplement- 

 ary Appendix, as Colias alticola. It 

 was first obtained near Tortorillas, 

 Chimborazo (13,300 feet), and was 

 seen in the Vallon de Carrel as high as 16,000 feet. When we 

 were encamped upon Antisana it attracted attention by the great 

 elevation above the level of the sea at which it was flying (16,000 

 feet). It was seen subsequently upon all the mountains we visited 



(except Sara-urcu) between the ele- 

 vations of 12 - 15,000 feet, and was 

 captured at 12,000 feet on Pichin- 

 cha, at 13,000 feet on Cayambe, and 

 at 15,000 feet on the western side 

 of Chimborazo, and was never either 

 taken or seen in the basins between 

 these mountains. 

 The only other species with which this could have been con- 

 fused is represented in the annexed Figure. This, the most common 



COLIAS ALTICOLA, GODMAN & SALVIN. 



COLIAS DIMERA, DOUBL. & HEW. 



