CYCLOPIDES PALJEM0N. 199 



I believe mandan contains but one species, although it has been so well supplied 

 with synonyms, and its extremes of colour variation are so great. 



4. Observation on the local larvae of mandan shows that they agree with 

 Frohawk's description of that of palaemon ; the latter account also agreeing 

 substantially with that of Fletcher (Can. Ent., June, 1889). 



Keferring to the fact that the only point suggesting specific differ- 

 ence in palaemon and mandan had been the supposition that the former 

 feeds on " plantain," and the knowledge that the latter feeds on 

 " grasses," he points out that the rearing of the former on " grass " 

 did away with this factor. As to the specimens compared, he notes 

 that the Banff examples agree with the Laggan series ; the Nepigon 

 $ is almost a copy of one Finland $ ; it differs in having the median 

 yellow-brown spots shorter (partly obliterate) ; on the underside the 

 Finland example is more suffused with yellow, and the spots under 

 the hindwings are less clear ; otherwise in every essential character the 

 insects are alike. The mandan of the Bow Valley (i.e., Laggan) is closer 

 to palaemon of Germany than to mandan of eastern North America. 

 Arranging the series according to affinity of variation, the Nepigon 

 example goes to one extreme, next follow the two Finland palaemon, 

 then two of the palaemon from Germany, and a number of Bow Valley 

 mandan ; nearly all the remaining Bow Valley mandan range still 

 further away by an increasing size and conspicuousness of the fulvous 

 spots on the upperside of forewings (these spots being, in some 

 specimens, so enlarged, as to replace almost entirely the dark brown 

 of the general surface). The two palaemon $ s from Switzerland, two of 

 the German palaemon, and a small section of the Bow Valley mandan 

 $ s follow a line of variation somewhat diverse from what is seen in 

 the major part of the series, but without special bearing on the main 

 question, except as farther illustrating the fact that mandan is more 

 ready to break ranks. In one particular, all the North American 

 examples are alike, the spots under the hindwings are clear in colour 

 and distinctly in contrast with the ground colour. Part of the 

 Europeans agree with the North American specimens in this, and the 

 others have the spots suffused with dull yellow, as in Cyclopides sylvius. 

 The description of mandan, in Fernald's Butterflies of Maine, indicates 

 that the Maine mandan is practically like that of Nepigon, and that 

 the spots on the underside of the hindwings are clear in colour, whilst 

 the description in general covers palaemon equally with that of 

 mandan. Edwards, in the description of Steropes skada, mentions that 

 the spots on the underside of the hindwings, except the outer rows, were 

 of a yellowish tint. Scudder describes the spots beneath the hindwing 

 of Hesperia mesapano as very large and silvery-white, in the Laggan 

 specimens the colour is a pale buff, scarcely white in any. The 

 specimens of the Bow Valley are, on the whole, larger than those of 

 Europe and eastern North America, and are more variable in size, 

 ranging from the expanse of the Finland and Swiss examples, to a size 

 noticeably exceeding that of the German specimens; they display also 

 greater individual variation in the size and colour of the fulvous spots 

 on the upperside of forewing (Bean). Skinner notes (Can. Ent., xxv., 

 p. 257) that, though the palaemon of middle Europe and the mandan of 

 the White Mountains (of New Hampshire) look different enough, yet, 

 when the series is completed by material found between the two 

 extremes, there can no longer be a doubt as to their identity. He 



