PARNASSIUS II— IV. 
observed by Mr. Reutti. The formation of the keel in Apollo, Siebold thinks de- 
pends on the size and form of the organs of the male; the secretion passing between 
the two claspers would form a keel.” 
With regard to the localities and habits of Smintheus I give extracts from Mr. 
Mead’s letters. On the 8th of June, he writes from Fairplay, South Park, Colorado. 
“On Tuesday, I took a long walk, about eight miles, down Turkey Creek, finding 
many unfamiliar insects. Flying along the road were two Papilio Daunus, which 
I captured on the wing. Papilio Rutulus was present in moderate numbers. The 
two Eurymedon I send were on the flowers of a species of Larkspur which every- 
where sends up its spikes of dark purple flowers. But what delighted me was the 
abundance of Smintheus along the road side. I took thirteen specimens, nearly 
all males, and many of them so fresh from chrysalis that the wings had not yet 
thoroughly stiffened. The next day I discovered a favorite resort of this species 
and in course of the morning captured forty-one. They show much variation in 
the number and size of the crimson spots. They were solitary in their habits and 
fond of alighting on flowers, but did not appear to be attracted by damp spots on 
the ground as is so usual with butterflies. Their flight was well sustained though 
slow and within a few feet of the ground. All the females taken were provided 
with the pouch.” 
On the 22nd, “Yesterday Mr. B. brought me a female Parnassius with an 
egg adhering to the ovipositor and said that it had deposited several eggs on a 
“tuft of grass.” On further inquiring he was not sure what the “grass” might be, 
and I conjectured it might be the stone-crop, (Sedum) which grows here abundantly, 
and the flowers of which are very attractive to these butterflies. Accordingly, on 
searching, I found two empty egg shells on the plant, apparently punctured by some 
insect. I also found on same numerous eggs of Euptoieta Columbina, a species 
which swarms everywhere on these hill sides.” On the 27th, from Turkey Creek 
Junction, “The Parnassians lay eggs freely. I have about 100, laid indiscrimin- 
ately on the box, or the cloth covering it, within which I had enclosed a female 
with the food-plant. Very few were on the plant itself.” On the 24th of July, 
“ My eggs show no sign of hatching, but most of them retain their normal contour. 
In regard to the theory of the formation of the pouch, it was suggested that the 
period of connection between the sexes of these butterflies must be very long. In 
that case I should have found many pairs in coitu, whereas I have not so found a 
single pair.” On the 21st of August, “I opened a Parnassius egg to-day and found 
a half-developed larva inside apparently in a natural state.” On the 27th of Au- 
gust, “ To day I dissected a Parnassius egg carefully and found a completely formed 
caterpillar entirely black and somewhat hairy.” 
In another letter he expresses the opinion that the eggs do not hatch until 
