78 THE BUTTERFLIES OF THE WEST COAST 



a, Male, underside, Sierra Nevadas of Cent. Cal., June, 



1890; Author. 



b, Female, Helena, Montana, July 20, 1891 ; Author. 

 Smintheus was named in 1847, being the first Parnassian of 



America to be named. The males of all the members of the Smin- 

 theus group have all wings nearly covered with opaque white 

 scales, so that the wings are not so translucent as those of the 

 Clodius group preceding; but the wings of the females, while 

 darker, are more translucent than those of the males, and the 

 dark scales are so arranged that the females have a spotted 

 appearance. Smintheus females are rather inclined to show varia- 

 tions of different kinds ; all of them have some red spots on the 

 fore wings, two, three, four, or five of them. The pouch of all 

 females of the Smintheus group is small and dark, and rather 

 inconspicuous ; the perfectly fresh female having no pouch at all 

 until after mating. 



The sex is sufficiently indicated by the difference in the color of 

 the wings, as shown on the plate, as also by the pouch, when it is 

 present, as it is sure to be, for the males never omit an opportunity. 



Habitat: The Rocky Mountains, from Colorado far north into 

 British Possessions, and west to the Sierra Nevadas of California. 



8. Parnassius Behri. 



Plate H ; Figure 8. Male, Sierra Nevadas of California, 

 July 3, 1892; Author. 



Behri is that rather common variety of Smintheus where the 

 red spots on hind wings are yellowish or orange instead of red. 

 The variety is found in both sexes, though more often in the 

 female than in the male ; it is variable, the yellowish tint often be- 

 ing only faintly perceptible, and, again, the round spots are more 

 or less white instead of orange, and so grading into the next 

 variety, Sayi. A large per cent of both Behri and Smintheus have 

 white pupils in the red and orange spots. 



Sex-marks and food-plants are the same as in Smintheus. 



Habitat: Utah, Nevada, and the Sierra Nevadas of California, 

 at an elevation of at least 5,000 feet. 



9. Parnassius Sayi. 



Plate H ; Figure 9. Sierra Nevadas, near Lake Tahoe, 

 July 10, 1892; Author. 



