196 BRITISH BUTTERFLIES. 



sides of the wings, and others in which the spots are much restricted 

 or decreased ; he has never seen any marked aberrations. The yellow 

 tint of the wings also varies, being sometimes paler, at other times 

 darker. Lowe notes the occurrence of a very dark and dingy form in 

 the Val Anzasca. Frey notes that he took two $ s at the end of July, 

 1865, on the Maloja, smaller than the type, more robust, rather short 

 and roundwinged; on the upperside of the hindwings the three typical 

 yellow central spots are present, but the outer row fails, differing thus 

 from examples from the Swiss plains and from north Germany. One 

 of these specimens, now in the British Museum collection, is a very 

 marked aberration as Frey describes. Esper describes and figures a 

 remarkable aberration (Schmett. Eur., ii., p. 14, pi. xcv., fig. 5) of 

 obsolete form ( = ab. esperi). This is described in detail (infra). The 

 described Palsearctic forms are as follows : 



a. ab. esperi, n. ab. Paniscus var., Esp., " Schmett. Eur.," ii., p. 14 (1796), pi. 

 xcv., fig. 5 (1787). — A single £ from Gerning's collection. The divergence from 

 the type is veiy considerable. Forewings blackish-brown, the long hairs yellowish, 

 the spots on the underside are very varied, the large ones towards the apes of the 

 wing are wanting, those in the middle almost entirely united with one another, this 

 area having therefrom a whitish appearance. The hindwings on the upperside have 

 a more yellow appearance, owing to the bright spots being placed near together in 

 an imperfect band ; the underside is also very like the upperside, but the colour is 

 much paler, the yellow covers a larger area, and appears much finer ; the ground 

 colour is dark grey, and has, in the middle, a large circular spot ; the outer margin 

 has a row of semicircular dark yellow spots. The body is quite black. The rest of 

 the characters as in the type (Esper). 



j3. var albiguttata, Chr., "Iris," vi., p. 87 (1893.) ; Ruhl, "Pal. Gross-Schmett.," 

 p. 635 (1895); Staud., "Cat.," 3rd ed., p. 91 (1901). Bronticles, in lift., Ruhl,. 

 " Pal. Gross-Schmett.," p. 635 (1895). — Supra maculis minoribus flavis ; subtus 

 posticis obscurioribus, rnaeulis albis. Vilui ; Irkut ; Ural merid., Giiberli (Christoph). 



Staudinger's note on this eastern form reads as follows : ; ' Supra 

 maculis flavis minoribus; subtus maculis albis. South Ural, Eastern 

 Siberia, Kamtschatka, Amurland, Mongolia (Urga district)" (Cat., 

 3rd ed., p. 91). Ruhl says that the MS. name brontirfes is synony- 

 mous with albi(juttata. Eversmann notes the examples taken in the 

 Volga district, as having the spots above ochreous, and beneath white, 

 edged with fuscous. 



The Nearctic forms of this species that have been described are 

 the following: — 



a. var mandan, Edw T ., " Proc. Ent. Soc. Phil.," ii., p. 20, pi. v.. fig. 1 (1863); 

 Kirby, " Syn. Cat.," p. 624 (1871) ; Scndd., " Svst. Rev. Am. Butts.," p. 54 (1872) ; 

 Edw., " Cat. Lep. Amer.," p. 49 (1877) ; Eerii., " Butts. Maine," p. 95 (1884) ; 

 French, "Butts. East. Un. Sta.," pp. 299-300 (1886); Mavn., "Butts. N. 

 Engl.," p. 57 (1886) ; Fletcher, " Can. Ent.," xxii., p. 113 (1889) ; Scudd., " Butts. 

 New. Engl.," ii., p. 1569, pi. x., fig. 2 (1889). Paniscus, Gosse, " Can. Nat.," p. 219 

 (1840); Streck., " Lep.," p. 69(1874). Palaemon, Bean, " Can. Ent.," xxv., pp. 145-7 

 (1893). — Expands l'l in. ; upperside brown, spotted with ochrey-yellow ; primaries 

 with a marginal series of small spots, with two of larger size submarginal ; a 

 straight transverse row on the disk of large aiigular spots, interrupted against the 

 submarginal, two others in the cell, separated by a circular brown space. The 

 secondaries have a small spot near the base, another on the inner margin, a large 

 rounded one in the disk, and a submarginal series of small spots and points. 

 Underside of primaries almost wholly ochrey-yellow, the spots corresponding 

 with those above, but enlarged and confluent ; secondaries pale reddish-brown with 

 ronnded spots of soiled white, corresponding, generally, with those above, but 

 larger; the submarginal row is complete, and the margin is bordered by lunules ; 

 near the base is a second spot on the costa of equal size with the other. Lake 

 Winnipeg, captured by Mr. R. W. Kennicott. This species is allied to paniscus 



