ARGYNNIS I. 
firmed this conjecture, and out of the large number that have since been taken the 
males have been of the known type and the females black, with no tendency in 
either to vary in the direction of the other. 
When my attention was called to the species, I found it not very uncommon, 
always upon or near the Iron weed, which is very abundant and grows in rank 
luxuriance upon the rich bottom lands of the Kanawha river, frequently reaching 
a height of eight to ten feet, and, in August, covered by heads of purple flowers that 
possess a remarkable attraction for most butterflies. Both sexes are conspicuous, 
the males from the strong contrast of color, and the females from their great size 
and the habit of alighting on the topmost flowers and resting with wings erect and 
motionless. It is an exceedingly alert and wary species, differing in this from our 
other Argynnides. At the slightest alarm it will fly high into the woods, near 
which, upon the narrow bottoms or river slopes it is invariably found. It is a true 
southern species, sensitive to cold, not to be looked for in the cooler part of the morn- 
ing, but flying down from the forest when the sun is well up. From eleven to three 
o’clock is its feeding time. 
Altogether, nearly 50 of both sexes were taken in 1864, between the 20th and 
30th August, the males all worn and corresponding with Say’s figure, the females 
in large proportion fresh from chrysalis. In 1865 nearly one hundred were taken 
in same locality with like results. In the two years following they were extremely 
rare. On the 4th July, 1867, a perfect male, very different in shades of color from 
the poor specimens hitherto seen, was taken, and two others were seen shortly after, 
but in the absence of flowering plants it was impossible to approach these last. 
In July, 1866, Mr. James Ridings, while on an entomological excursion in 
Georgia, captured three perfect males near Atlanta, from one of which our figure 
was drawn. These were all by the road side in the sandy, flowerless pine forest, and 
had alighted on logs or tree trunks. No females were seen by Mr. Ridings. 
We may be sure, therefore, that the males emerge early in July and are in 
flight till last of August, and the females from early in August till last of Septem- 
ber. And that the range of the species is from Georgia to the lower part of West 
Virginia, but how far west we have no knowledge, except from Say’s mention of 
Arkansas and Missouri. It probably may be found along New River (as the up- 
per part of the Kanawha is called) which flows from the mountains of North Caro- 
lina, and offers a channel by which many southern species of butterflies, and insects 
of other orders, find their way to the warm valley of the Kanawha. 
The contrast between the sexes in the present species has no parallel among 
North American butterflies. In the instance of Papilio Turnus there are females 
of two colors, one of which resembles the male in color and markings, and the other 
(Glaucus) , while differing in color, retains the markings. And in Turnus there are 
many cases where the two colors are mingled in the same individual, giving them a 
