THE PARNASSIANS 



joined to radius. In the anal area of the hind wings only a 

 single vein remains ; while in the anal area of the fore wings 

 two anal veins are distinctly preserved. In the fore wings 

 veins R, and R 2 coalesce, which reduces the number of the 

 branches of radius to four. 



The larva; (Plate IV, Fig. i) possess the peculiar scent- 

 organs known as osmateria ; these are also possessed by the 

 larvae of swallow-tails and by no other butterfly larva;. The 

 osmateria are described later, in the discussion of the larva; of 

 swallow-tails. The larva when about to pupate either draws 

 a leaf or leaves about its body by a few threads or it merely 

 hides under some object on the ground. 



The pupa (Plate IV, Fig. 2) is cylindrical and rounded, 

 not angulate like those of the swallow-tails. 



Only four species have been found in North America ; they 

 all belong to the genus Parnassius. Of the four species, two 

 are Alaskan ; the others occur in the mountains of the Pacific 

 States, in Wyoming, and in the Rocky Mountains. One of 

 these, Parnassius smintheus (Par-nas'si-us smin'the-us), is 

 represented on Plate IV, Fig. 3. 



Though the butterflies of the tropics may 

 delight our eyes with their beautiful colors, yet 

 we must needs climb high mountains to realize 

 the possibilities of beauty which these little crea- 

 tures possess. We would naturally suppose that 

 those butterflies found on high mountains and 

 in cold regions would be leathery of wing and 

 dull of color ; but this is a wrong supposition, 

 for we find on the wings of these mountain-top 



43 



