Chapter IV: Books About North American Butterflies (3)

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_Caterpillar._--The same author has given us a description of the caterpillar immediately after hatching; but as the young larvæ were lost after being sent to Maine to be kept over winter we do not yet know the full life-history.

The range of this species is northern California and Utah, so far as is known at present.

(34) =Argynnis rupestris=, Behr, Plate XII, Fig. 8, ♂. Fig. 9, ♂, _under side_ (The Cliff-dwelling Fritillary).

_Butterfly_, ♂.--The upper side of the fore wings is deep reddish-fulvous, with the black markings very heavy. The fore wings on the under side are buff, shaded with red at the base and on the inner margin. The spots are buff, without any silver. The hind wings are buff, mottled with cinnamon-red, sometimes dark, sometimes lighter. The marginal belt is narrow, buff, encroached upon by the darker color of the median area at the ends of the oval spots. None of the spots is silvered, except very lightly in exceptional cases.

♀.--The female is much like the male on the upper side, with the dark markings much heavier, the ground-color somewhat paler, and the marginal row of spots quite light. The wings on the under side are more brightly tinted than in the male, and the marginal spots are more or less silvered. Expanse, ♂, 2.00 inches; ♀, 2.20 inches.

_Early Stages._--Nothing is as yet known about the egg and larva.

This species is quite abundant at a considerable elevation upon Mount Shasta, Mount Bradley, and in the Weber Mountains in Utah.

(35) =Argynnis laura=, Edwards, Plate XII, Fig. 11, ♂; Fig. 12, ♀ (Laura).

_Butterfly_, ♂.--The upper side is deep reddish-fulvous, with both wings somewhat obscured at the base by fuscous. The black markings on the upper side of the wings are heavy; the outer margin is also heavily banded with dark brown, the marginal lines being fulvous. The four spots on the hind wings are lighter in color than the ground. The fore wings on the under side are reddish-orange, with the apex and the hind margin yellowish-buff. The apical and upper marginal spots are more or less well silvered. The hind wings are pale yellow, the marginal belt very broad and clear yellow. All the spots are large and well silvered.

♀.--The female is much paler than the male, but otherwise closely resembles that sex. Expanse, ♂, 2.20 inches; ♀, 2.35 inches.

_Early Stages._--Unknown.

This species is found in northern California, Oregon, Washington, and Nevada.

(36) =Argynnis macaria=, Edwards, Plate XIII, Fig. 9, ♂ (Macaria).

_Butterfly_, ♂.--The upper side of the wings is yellowish-fulvous, the black markings very light. The fore wings on the under side are orange-red, at the apex yellowish-buff. The subapical upper marginal spots are lightly silvered. The hind wings are yellowish-buff on the outer third, mottled with brown on the basal and median areas. The marginal belt is clear buff. The spots are large and well silvered.

♀.--The female is paler than the male. On the upper side of the hind wings the second row of silver spots is indicated by spots much paler than the ground. The black markings are lighter than in the male. Expanse, ♂, 2.00 inches; ♀, 2.20 inches.

_Early Stages._--Unknown.

This species, which is somewhat like _A. coronis_, but smaller, and brighter fulvous, is found in California, but is still quite rare in collections.

(37) =Argynnis semiramis=, Edwards, Plate XIII, Fig. 2, ♂, _under side_; Fig. 3, ♀ (Semiramis).

_Butterfly_, ♂.--The wings are bright fulvous on the upper side, with the black markings much as in _A. adiante_, slight on the fore wings and even slighter on the hind wings. The under side of the fore wings is cinnamon-red at the base and on the inner half of the wing, beyond this buff. The apical patch and the outer margin are brown. The upper marginal spots and two spots on the subapical patch are well silvered. The hind wings are rusty-brown from the base to the second row of spots, mottled with lighter brown. The marginal belt is clear brownish-buff. All the spots are well silvered.

♀.--The female on the upper side is colored like the male, with the dark markings somewhat heavier. On the under side the fore wings are laved over almost their entire surface with red, the upper angle of the cell alone being buff. The hind wings are in many specimens fawn-colored throughout, except that the marginal band is paler. In a few specimens the ground is darker and the band more distinct. All the spots are well silvered. Expanse, ♂, 2.60 inches; ♀, 2.75-3.00 inches.

_Early Stages._--The life-history of this butterfly has not been ascertained.

The species appears to be very common at San Bernardino, California, and vicinity, and resembles _A. adiante_ on the upper side and _A. coronis_ upon the lower side.

(38) =Argynnis inornata=, Edwards, Plate XIII, Fig. 10, ♀, _under side_ (The Plain Fritillary).

_Butterfly_, ♂.--This species resembles _A. rupestris_ in its markings, but is somewhat paler, the black margins are heavy and the black markings on the disk comparatively light; the base of the wings is obscured with fuscous. On the under side the fore wings are cinnamon-brown, with the apical area buff. The hind wings are reddish-brown, with the marginal band clear buff. All the spots are buff, and completely devoid of silvery scales.

♀.--Paler than the male on the upper side. The fore wings on the under side are orange-fulvous; the hind wings are pale greenish-brown, mottled with buff. In some specimens a few silver scales are found on the submarginal spots. Expanse, ♂, 2.50 inches; ♀, 2.70 inches.

_Early Stages._--Unknown.

This butterfly, which is as yet not very common in collections, is found in California and Nevada.

(39) =Argynnis atossa=, Edwards, Plate XIII, Fig. 12, ♂ (Atossa).

_Butterfly_, ♂.--The upper side is bright yellowish-fulvous, with the wings at the base slightly dusted with brown. The margins of both wings are bordered by a single line, there being no trace of the outer line usually found in other species of the genus. The dark markings of the outer margin are almost entirely absent, and those of the discal and basil areas very greatly reduced. On the under side both wings are very pale, the spots entirely without silver, in some specimens even their location being but faintly indicated. The fore wings at the base and on the inner margin are laved with bright red.

♂.--The female resembles the male, except that the red on the under side of the fore wings is in many specimens very bright and fiery. Expanse, ♂, 2.50 inches; ♀, 2.75-3.00 inches.

_Early Stages._--Entirely unknown.

This butterfly, which is still rare in collections, has been taken in southern California. It may be an extreme variation of the next species, _A. adiante_, Boisduval.

(40) =Argynnis adiante=, Boisduval, Plate XIV, Fig. 4, ♀ (Adiante).

_Butterfly_, ♂.--The wings on the upper side are bright fulvous; the black markings are slight. The fore wings on the under side are pale buff, much lighter at the apex, laved with orange-red at the base. The hind wings are pale buff, clouded with fawn color on the basal and discal areas. All the spots which are generally silvered in other species are in this species wholly devoid of silvery scales.

♀.--The female is like the male, but the black markings on the upper side are heavier, and the basal area and inner half of the primaries are laved with brighter and deeper red. Expanse, ♂, 2.30-2.40 inches; ♀, 2.30-2.60 inches.

_Early Stages._--Unknown.

This species is found in southern California, and is somewhat local in its habits, hitherto having been taken only in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

(41) =Argynnis artonis=, Edwards, Plate XII, Fig. 13, ♂, _under side_ (Artonis).

_Butterfly_, ♂.--Closely resembling _A. eurynome_, Edwards, from which species it may be at once distinguished by the entire absence of silvery scales upon the under side of the wings, and also by the fact that the silver spots on the under side of the hind wings are not compressed and elongated as much as in _eurynome_, and by the further fact that all the dark marginal markings of the under side are obliterated.

♀.--The female does not differ materially from the male, except that the dark markings on the upper side are all much heavier, standing out very distinctly upon the paler ground, and the marginal spots within the lunules are very light in color and relatively large. On the under side the fore wings are laved with red, very much as in the female of _A. adiante._ Expanse, ♂, 1.75-2.00 inches; ♀, 2.00-2.15 inches.

_Early Stages._--These still remain to be ascertained.

This interesting butterfly, which seems to indicate a transition between the butterflies of the Adiante-group and those of the Eurynome-group, has been found in Colorado, Nevada, Utah, and Arizona.

(42) =Argynnis clio=, Edwards, Plate XIV, Fig. 5, ♂; Fig. 6, ♀; Fig. 7, ♂, _under side_ (Clio).

_Butterfly._--Closely resembling _A. eurynome_ and _A. artonis_. Like _artonis_, the spots on the under side of the wing are without silver. The female very closely resembles the female of _artonis_, and in fact I am unable to distinguish the types of the females of the two species by any marks which seem to be satisfactory. Expanse, ♂, 1.75 inch; ♀, 1.75-1.90 inch.

_Early Stages._--Unknown.

This species, which is as yet comparatively rare in collections, is found in Montana and the province of Alberta, in British America, at a considerable elevation.

(43) =Argynnis opis=, Plate XIV, Fig. 8, ♂, _under side_ (Opis).

_Butterfly._--This species, which apparently belongs to the Eurynome-group, appears by the location of its markings to be closely related to _eurynome_, but on the upper side the wings of both the male and female are more heavily obscured with fuscous at the base; the dark markings are heavier than in _eurynome_, and in both sexes it is smaller in size, being the smallest of all the species of the genus thus far found in North America. The spots on the under side of the wings are none of them silvered. Expanse, ♂, 1.50 inch; ♀, 1.60 inch.

_Early Stages._--Nothing is known of these.

The types came from Bald Mountain, in the Caribou mining district of British Columbia.

(44) =Argynnis bischoffi=, Edwards, Plate XI, Fig. 7, ♂ (Bischoff's Fritillary).

_Butterfly_, ♂.--The fore wings on the upper side are bright reddish-fulvous, the base of the primaries and the inner half of the secondaries being heavily obscured by blackish, so as to conceal the markings. Both wings have moderately heavy black marginal borders. The other markings are as in _A. eurynome_. On the under side the fore wings are buff, laved with reddish at the base. The hind wings are pale buff, with the basal and discal areas mottled with green. The marginal belt is clear buff. In some specimens the spots on the under side are not silvered; in others they are well silvered.

♀.--The female on the upper side is very pale buff, slightly laved with fulvous on the outer margin of both wings. All the markings are heavy; the margins of both wings are solid black, the spots within the lunules being pale and almost white. The fore wings at the base and the inner half of the hind wings are almost solid black. On the under side the wings are very much as in the male, and the same variation as to the silvering of the spots is found. Expanse, ♂, 1.80 inch; ♀, 1.90 inch.

_Early Stages._--Unknown.

The types of this genus came from Sitka, in Alaska. It may be an extreme boreal variation of _A. eurynome_.

(45) =Argynnis eurynome=, Edwards, Plate XII, Fig. 7, ♂; Plate XIV, Fig. 14, ♀; Fig. 15, ♂, _under side_ (Eurynome).

_Butterfly_, ♂.--The wings on the upper side are bright yellowish-fulvous, but little obscured at the base. The outer margins are edged by two fine lines which are occasionally confluent. The under side of the fore wings is pale buff, laved with cinnamon-brown at the base and along the nervules; the spots on the margin and in the apical area are well silvered. The hind wings on the under side are buff, with the basal and discal areas mottled with pale brown or pale olive-green. The marginal belt is broad and clear buff; all the spots are well silvered.

♀.--The female is like the male, but paler, with the dark markings, especially those of the margin, heavier. The marginal spots inclosed by the lunules are much paler than the ground-color, and in many specimens almost white. On the under side the wings in this sex are like those of the male, but the fore wings are more heavily laved with cinnamon-brown at the base. Expanse, ♂, 1.70-2.00 inches; ♀, 2.00 inches.

_Early Stages._--Mr. Edwards, in "The Butterflies of North America," vol. ii, has given us a beautiful figure of the egg of this species. Of the other stages we have no knowledge.

_A. eurynome_ is a very common butterfly in Colorado, Montana, and British America, and is the representative of a considerable group, to which the four preceding species belong, if, indeed, they are not local races or climatic varieties of _eurynome_, a fact which can be demonstrated only by the careful breeding of specimens from various localities. There is a fine field here for study and experiment.

(46) =Argynnis montivaga=, Behr, Plate X, Fig. 5, ♂, _under side_ (Montivaga).

_Butterfly._--This species in both sexes very closely approximates the foregoing. The main points of distinction consist in the somewhat darker red of the upper side of the wings, the slightly heavier dark markings, and the absence on the under side, especially of the hind wings, of the olive-green shade which is characteristic of typical specimens of _A. eurynome._ The mottling of the basal and median areas on this side is reddish-brown. The spots are more or less silvered on the under side. Expanse, ♂, 1.75 inch; ♀, 1.90 inch.

_Early Stages._--Unknown.

This species is found in the Sierras of California and among the mountains of Nevada.

(47) =Argynnis egleis=, Boisduval, Plate XIII, Fig. 13, ♂; Fig. 14, ♀, _under side_; Fig. 15, ♀ (Egleis).

_Butterfly_, ♂.--The ground-color of the wings on the upper side is deep fulvous, with rather heavy black markings. The wings on the under side are pale fulvous, mottled with buff on the subapical interspaces of the fore wings. The basal and discal areas of the hind wings are mottled with brown, which in many specimens is of a distinctly purplish shade. In some specimens the inner half of the primaries is rather heavily laved with red. The spots on the under side are either silvered or without silver, in the latter case being pale buff.

♀.--The female is much like the male, but paler. The red on the under side of the primaries is deeper, and the purplish-brown on the inner surface of the secondaries is also darker. Expanse, ♂, 2.25 inches; ♀, 2.50 inches.

_Early Stages._--These remain to be ascertained.

This is a common species in California and Nevada. For many years it has been placed in all catalogues at the end of the list of the species of this genus, where I also leave it, though to my way of thinking its proper location is near _A. rupestris_. It certainly reveals but small affinity to the species of the Eurynome group.

Besides the species of _Argynnis_ enumerated in the foregoing pages and delineated upon the plates, there are several others of more or less doubtful validity credited to our fauna, and a number of varieties which have received names. With all of these the more advanced student will become familiar as he prosecutes his researches, but it is not necessary to speak of them here.

A RACE AFTER A BUTTERFLY

There is much that is pleasing about "first things." I shall never forget the first dollar I earned; the first trout I took with my fly; the first muskalonge I gaffed beside my canoe on a still Canadian lake; the first voyage I made across the Atlantic. So I shall never forget my first capture of a female specimen of _Argynnis diana_.

My home in my boyhood was in North Carolina, in the village of Salem, famous as one of the most successful of the settlements made by the Moravian Brethren under the lead of the good Count Zinzendorf, and well known throughout the Southern States as the seat of an excellent seminary for young ladies. The Civil War broke out, and the hopes cherished of sending me North to be educated were disappointed. I was left to pursue my studies under a tutor, and to roam the neighborhood in quest of insects, of which I gathered a large collection.

One day I spied upon a bed of verbenas a magnificent butterfly with broad expanse of wing and large blue spots upon the secondaries. In breathless haste I rushed into the house and got my net. To the joy of my heart, when I returned to the spot, the beauty was still hovering over the crimson blossoms. But, as I drew near with fell intent, it rose and sailed away. Across the garden, over the fence, across the churchyard, out into the street, with leisurely flight the coveted prize sped its way, while I quickly followed, net in hand. Once upon the dusty street, its flight was accelerated; my rapid walking was converted into a run. Down past the church and--_horribile dictu!_--past the boarding-school that pesky butterfly flew. I would rather have faced a cannonade in those days than a bevy of boarding-school misses, but there was no alternative. There were the dreaded females at the windows (for it was Saturday, and vacation hour), and there was my butterfly. Sweating, blushing, inwardly anathematizing my luck, I rushed past the school, only to be overwhelmed with mortification by the rascally porter of the institution, who was sweeping the pavement, and who bawled out after me: "Oh, it's no use; you can't catch it! It's frightened; you're so ugly!" And now it began to rise in its flight. It was plainly my last chance, for it would in a moment be lost over the housetops. I made an upward leap, and by a fortunate sweep of the net succeeded in capturing my prize.

Many years later, after a long interval in which ornithology and botany had engrossed my mind to the exclusion of entomology, my boyish love for the butterflies was renewed, and I found out the name of the choice thing I had captured on that hot July day on the streets of Salem, and returned to North Carolina for the special purpose of collecting a quantity of these superb insects. My quest was entirely successful, though my specimens were not taken at Salem, but under the shadow of Mount Mitchell, in the flower-spangled valleys which lie at its feet.

Genus BRENTHIS, Hübner

"The garden is fragrant everywhere;
In its lily-bugles the gold bee sups,
And butterflies flutter on winglets fair
Round the tremulous meadow buttercups."

MUNKITTRICK.

_Butterfly._-Small or medium-sized butterflies, very closely approximating in form and color the species of the genus _Argynnis_, in which they are included by many writers. The principal structural difference between the two genera is found in the fact that in the genus _Brenthis_ only one of the subcostal nervules arises before or at the end of the cell of the primaries, while in _Argynnis_ the two innermost subcostal nervules thus arise. In _Brenthis_ the palpi are not as stout as in _Argynnis_, and the short basal spur or branch of the median vein of the front wings, which is characteristic of the latter genus, is altogether lacking in _Brenthis_.

_Egg._--The eggs are subconical, almost twice as high as wide, truncated at the top, and marked with thirteen or fourteen raised longitudinal ridges connected by a multitude of smaller cross-ridges.

_Larva._--The caterpillars are not noticeably different in their general appearance from those of the genus _Argynnis_, except that they are smaller and generally not as dark in color as the larvæ of the latter genus. They feed, like the caterpillars of _Argynnis_, upon violets.

_Chrysalis._--The chrysalis is pendant, about six tenths of an inch long, and armed with two rows of sharp conical tubercles on the back.

(1) =Brenthis myrina=, Cramer, Plate XV, Fig. 1, ♂; Fig. 2, ♂, _under side_; Plate V, Figs. 12-14, _chrysalis_ (The Silver-bordered Fritillary).

_Butterfly._--The upper side of the wings is fulvous; the black markings are light, the borders heavy. The fore wings on the under side are yellowish-fulvous, ferruginous at the tip, with the marginal spots lightly silvered. The hind wings are ferruginous, mottled with buff. The spots, which are small, are well silvered. Expanse, ♂, 1.40 inch; ♀, 1.70 inch.

_Egg._--The egg is conoidal, about one third higher than wide, marked by sixteen or seventeen vertical ribs, between which are a number of delicate cross-lines. It is pale greenish-yellow in color.

_Caterpillar._--The caterpillar has been carefully studied, and its various stages are fully described in "The Butterflies of New England," by Dr. Scudder. In its final stage it is about seven eighths of an inch long, dark olive-brown, marked with green, the segments being adorned with fleshy tubercles armed with needle-shaped projections, the tubercles on the side of the first thoracic segment being four times as long as the others, cylindrical in form, and blunt at the upper end, the spines projecting upward at an angle of forty-five degrees to the axis of the tubercle.

_Chrysalis._--The chrysalis is yellowish-brown, spotted with darker brown spots, those of the thoracic and first and second abdominal segments having the lustre of mother-of-pearl.

This very pretty little species has a wide range, extending from New England to Montana, from Nova Scotia to Alaska, and southward along the ridges of the Alleghanies into Virginia and the mountains of North Carolina.

(2) =Brenthis triclaris=, Hübner, Plate XV, Fig. 3, ♂ (Hübner's Fritillary).

_Butterfly_, ♂.--The male above is bright fulvous, with the base of the fore wings and the inner margin of the hind wings heavily obscured with blackish scales. The usual dark markings are finer than in the preceding species; the black marginal borders are not so heavy. The submarginal spots are relatively large and distinct in most specimens, and uniform in size. The light spots of the under side of the median band of the hind wings show through from below on the upper side lighter than the ground-color of the wings. On the under side the fore wings are fulvous, tipped with ferruginous. The hind wings are broadly ferruginous, with a couple of bright-yellow spots near the base and a curved band of yellow spots crossing the median area. The outer margin about the middle is marked with pale fulvous. The spots on the under side are none of them silvered.

♀.--The female is much paler than the male in most cases, and the marginal spots within the lunules are very pale, almost white. The submarginal row of round black spots is relatively large and distinct, quite uniform in size. On the under side the wings are much more conspicuously marked on the secondaries than in the male sex, being crossed by three conspicuous bands of irregularly shaped yellow spots, one at the base and one on either side of the discal area. The submarginal round spots of the upper side reappear on the under side as small, slightly silvered, yellow spots. The marginal spots are bright yellow, slightly glossed with silver. Expanse, ♂, 1.50 inch; ♀, 1.60 inch.

_Early Stages._--Unknown.

This extremely beautiful little species is found throughout arctic America, is not uncommon in Labrador, and also occurs upon the loftier summits of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado and elsewhere. It is, as most species of the genus, essentially arctic in its habits.

(3) =Brenthis helena=, Edwards, Plate XVIII, Fig. 16, ♂, _under side_; Fig. 17, ♂ (Helena).

_Butterfly_, ♂.--The wings on the upper side are fulvous, greatly obscured by brown at the base of the fore wings and along the inner margin of the hind wings. The usual black markings are light, and the marginal border is also not so heavily marked as in _B. myrina_. The fore wings on the under side are pale fulvous, laved with ferruginous at the tip. The hind wings are brightly ferruginous, with small yellow marginal spots, and paler spots inclining to buff on the costal border and at the end of the cell, about the region of the median nervules.

♀.--The female is very much like the male on the upper side, but the ground-color is paler. On the under side the wings are somewhat paler, and all the spots and light markings, especially on the secondaries, are far more conspicuous, being bright yellow, and standing out very prominently upon the dark ferruginous ground. Expanse, 1.40 inch.

_Early Stages._--The early stages of this insect are not as yet known.

_Helena_ appears to be a common species in Colorado, Montana, and New Mexico. It is subject to considerable variation, both in the intensity of the coloring of the under side of the wings, and in the distinctness of the maculation.

(4) =Brenthis montinus=, Scudder, Plate XV, Fig. 7, ♂; Fig. 8, ♀, _under side_ (The White Mountain Fritillary).

_Butterfly_, ♂.--The upper side is fulvous, closely resembling _B. chariclea_, but the ground-color is darker. The under side of the hind wings is deep ferruginous, mottled with white, the most conspicuous of the white spots being a white bar occurring at the end of the cell, and a small round white spot at the base of the wing. The hind wings have also a marginal row of slightly silvered white spots.

♀.--The female is very much like the male, but the ground-color of the upper side is paler. Expanse, ♂, 1.50 inch; ♀, 1.75 inch.

This interesting butterfly is found on the barren summits of Mount Washington, New Hampshire. It represents the survival of the arctic fauna on these desolate peaks, and, like the arctic flora of the spot where it is found, is a souvenir of the ice-age, which once shrouded the northeastern regions of the United States with glaciers.

(5) =Brenthis chariclea=, Schneider, Plate XV, Fig. 4, ♂ (Chariclea).

_Butterfly_, ♂.--Fulvous on the upper side, with heavy black markings, both wings greatly obscured at the base by fuscous. On the under side the fore wings are pale yellowish-fulvous, mottled with ferruginous at the tip and on the outer margin. The hind wings on the under side are dark purplish-ferruginous, mottled with yellow, crossed by a central row of conspicuous yellow spots. The row of marginal spots and two or three small spots at the base are white, slightly silvered.

♀.--The female differs from the male in having the markings of the upper side darker and heavier, and the outer margins more heavily marked with black, and having all the spots on the under side more distinctly defined against the dark ground. Expanse, ♂, 1.50 inch; ♀, 1.75 inch.

_Early Stages._--Undescribed.

This species, like _B. freija_, is circumpolar, being found in Lapland, Greenland, and throughout arctic America. It also occurs within the limits of the United States, in the Yellowstone Park at considerable elevations, and is not uncommon on the high mountains in British Columbia, numerous specimens having been captured in recent years about Banff and Laggan, in Alberta.

(6) =Brenthis boisduvali=, Duponchel, Plate XV, Fig. 5. ♂; Fig. 6, ♀, _under side_ (Boisduval's Fritillary).

_Butterfly._--Somewhat closely resembling _B. chariclea_, but with the markings much heavier on the outer margin, and the base of the wings generally more deeply obscured with dark brown. The wings on the under side in color and marking closely approximate those of _B. chariclea_, and I have been unable to distinguish the specimens marked as _boisduvali_, and contained in the Edwards collection, from the specimens designated as _B. chariclea_ in the same collection, so far as the color and maculation of the under sides of these specimens are concerned. Expanse, ♂, 1.50 inch; ♀, 1.75 inch.

_Early Stages._--Unknown.

This species, originally described from Labrador, is found throughout boreal America and British Columbia.

(7) =Brenthis freija=, Thunberg, Plate XV, Fig. 9, ♂; Fig. 10, ♀, _under side_ (The Lapland Fritillary).

_Butterfly._--The wings are pale fulvous, the fore wings at the base and the hind wings on the inner half being deeply obscured with fuscous. The markings are quite heavy. The fore wings on the under side are very pale fulvous, yellowish at the tip, mottled with ferruginous. The hind wings are ferruginous on the under side, mottled with yellow. The spots are quite large, consisting of lines and dashes, and a marginal row of small lunulate spots, pale yellow or white, slightly silvered. Expanse, 1.50 inch.

This butterfly is circumpolar, being found in Norway, Lapland, northern Russia, and Siberia, through Alaska, British America, and Labrador, occurring also upon the highest peaks of the Rocky Mountains as far south as Colorado.

(8) =Brenthis polaris=, Boisduval, Plate XV, Fig. 11, ♂; Fig. 12, ♂, _under side_ (The Polar Fritillary).

_Butterfly._--The upper side dull fulvous; the markings on the inner half of the wings are confluent, and lost in the brownish vestiture which obscures this portion of the wing. The outer median area is defined by irregular zigzag spots which flow together. Beyond these the submarginal row of small black spots stands out distinctly upon the lighter ground-color of the wings. The outer margin is marked by black spots at the end of the nervules, on the fore wings somewhat widely separated, on the hind wings narrowly separated by the lighter ground-color. On the under side the wings are fulvous, with a marginal row of white checkerings on both wings. The hind wing is deeply mottled with ferruginous, on which the lighter white markings stand forth very conspicuously. Expanse, ♂, 1.50 inch.; ♀, 1.50-2.00 inches.

_Early Stages._--Unknown.

This butterfly has been found in Labrador, Greenland, and other portions of arctic America, as far north as latitude 81° 52´.

(9) =Brenthis frigga=, Thunberg, Plate XV, Fig. 13, ♂; Fig. 14, ♀, _lower side_ (Frigga).

_Butterfly_, ♂.--On the upper side this butterfly somewhat closely resembles _polaris_, but the markings are not so compact--more diffuse. The fore wings at the base and the hind wings on the inner two thirds are heavily obscured with brown. The outer margins are more heavily shaded with blackish-brown than in _B. polaris_. On the under side the wings are quite differently marked. The fore wings are fulvous, shaded with brown at the tips, and marked with light yellow on the interspaces beyond the end of the cell. The hind wings are dark ferruginous, shading into purplish-gray on the outer margin, with a whitish quadrate spot on the costa near the base, marked with two dark spots, and a bar of pale, somewhat obscured spots, forming an irregular band across the middle of the hind wings.

♀.--The female does not differ greatly from the male, except that the spots on the under side of the hind wings stand forth more conspicuously, being lighter in color and better defined. Expanse, 1.65-2.00 inches.

This pretty little butterfly occurs in Labrador, across the continent as far west as northern Alaska, and is also occasionally taken upon the alpine summits of the Rocky Mountains as far south as Colorado.

(10) =Brenthis bellona=, Fabricius, Plate XV, Fig. 16, ♂; Plate V, Fig. 10, _chrysalis, side view_; Fig. 11, _chrysalis, side view_ (Meadow Fritillary).

_Butterfly._--Pale fulvous on the upper side, with the dark markings on the inner half of the wing narrow, but more or less confluent. The dark markings on the outer part of the wing are slighter. The fore wings are a little angled on the outer margin below the apex. On the under side the fore wings are pale fulvous, mottled with purple at the tip and on the outer margin. The hind wings on this side are ferruginous, mottled with purple. Expanse, 1.65-1.80 inch.

_Egg._--The egg of this species is similar in form, size, color, and markings to the egg of _B. myrina_.

_Caterpillar._--The caterpillar also in its early stages closely resembles _myrina_, but in its mature form it differs in not having the spines on the second segment of the body lengthened as in that species.

_Chrysalis._--The chrysalis, which is represented in Plate V, is bluish-gray in color, marked with dark spots. The life-history has been given us by several authors.

This butterfly is very common in the whole of the northern United States, as far south as the mountain-ranges of Virginia, and occurs throughout Quebec, Ontario, and British America, as far west as the foot-hills of the Rocky Mountains. It flies commonly with _B. myrina_, the only other species of the genus found in the densely populated portions of our territory, from which it may be at once distinguished by the entire absence of the silvered markings which make _B. myrina_ so bright and attractive.

(11) =Brenthis epithore=, Boisduval, Plate XV, Fig. 17, ♂; Fig. 18, ♂, _under side_ (Epithore).

_Butterfly._--This species on the upper side is pale fulvous, with the markings slighter than in _B. bellona_, and the inner half of the hind wings much more heavily clouded with fuscous. On the under side the wings are somewhat like those of _B. bellona_, but less purple and mottled more distinctly with yellow. Expanse, ♂, 1.50 inch; ♀, 1.85 inch.

_Early Stages._--Undescribed.

This species appears to replace _B. bellona_, its close ally, in California, Oregon, and the States eastward as far as parts of Colorado.

(12) =Brenthis alberta=, Edwards, Plate XV, Fig. 15, ♂ (Alberta).

_Butterfly._--This, the least attractive in appearance of the species composing the genus, has pale wings with a "washed-out" appearance on the upper side, almost all the dark markings being greatly reduced or obliterated. On the under side the wings are even more obscurely marked than on the upper side. The female is darker than the male, and specimens have a greasy look. Expanse, ♂, 1.55 inch; ♀, 1.65-1.75 inch.

_Early Stages._--Unknown, except the egg and the young caterpillar, which have been most beautifully figured by Edwards in vol. iii of "The Butterflies of North America." The only locality from which specimens have as yet been received by collectors is Laggan, in Alberta, where the species apparently is not uncommon at lofty elevations above sea-level.

(13) =Brenthis astarte=, Doubleday and Hewitson, Plate XVIII, Fig. 14, ♂; Fig. 15, ♀, _under side_ (Astarte).

_Butterfly._--This rare insect, the largest of the genus, may at once be distinguished from all others by the very beautiful markings of the under side of the hind wings, crossed by a band of irregular, bright-yellow spots, which are narrowly edged with black, and beyond the black bordered by red. Expanse, ♂, 2.00 inches; ♀, 2.15 inches.

_Early Stages._--Unknown.

The first description and figure of this insect were given by Doubleday and Hewitson in their large and now very valuable work on "The Genera of Diurnal Lepidoptera." They correctly attributed it to the Rocky Mountains, but Kirby afterward gave Jamaica as its habitat, and this led to its subsequent redescription by Edwards under the name _Victoria_. It is a rare species still, having been received only from Laggan, Alberta, where it was rediscovered by that most indefatigable collector and observer, Mr. T.E. Bean. It frequents the highest summits of the lofty mountains about this desolate locality. Mr. Bean says: "_Astarte_ seems always on the lookout for an entomologist, whose advent is carefully noted, and at any approach of such a monster nearer than about fifteen feet, its wings rise to half-mast, vibrate there a doubtful instant, and away goes the butterfly."

In addition to the thirteen species figured in our plates there are two other species of the genus, _B. butleri_, Edwards, from Grinnell Land, and _B. improba_, Butler, from near the arctic circle. It is not likely that many of the readers of this book will encounter these insects in their rambles, and if they should, they will be able to ascertain their names quickly, by conferring with the author.

SUSPICIOUS CONDUCT

The entomologist must not expect to be always thoroughly understood. The ways of scientific men sometimes appear strange, mysterious, bordering even upon the insane, to those who are uninitiated. A celebrated American naturalist relates that on one occasion, when chasing butterflies through a meadow belonging to a farmer, the latter came out and viewed him with manifest anxiety. But when the nature of the efforts of the man of science had been finally explained, the farmer heaved a sigh of relief, remarking, in Pennsylvania Dutch, that "he had surely thought, when he first saw him, that he had just escaped from a lunatic asylum." The writer, a number of years ago, after having despatched a very comfortable lunch, sallied forth one afternoon, in quest of insects, and in the course of his wanderings came upon a refuse-heap by the roadside, opposite a substantial house, and on this heap discovered an ancient ham, which was surrounded by a multitude of beetles of various species known to be partial to decomposed, or semi-decomposed, animal matter. He proceeded immediately to bottle a number of the specimens. While engaged in so doing, the window of the house across the way was thrown up, and an elderly female thrust her head out, and in strident voice exclaimed: "Hey, there! What are you doin' with that ham? I say, don't you know that that ham is spiled?" As he paid no attention to her, she presently appeared at the door, came across the street, and remarked: "See here, mister; that ham's spiled; Lucy and me throwed it out, knowin' it was no good. If you want a good meal of wittles, come into the house, and we will feed you, but for mercy's sake leave that spiled ham alone." It took considerable effort to assure her that no designs upon the ham were cherished, and she went away, evidently completely mystified at the wild conduct of the well-dressed man who was grubbing in the rubbish-pile.

Genus MELITÆA, Fabricius

(The Checker-spots)

"The fresh young Flie,...
... joy'd to range abroad in fresh attire,
Through the wide compass of the ayrie coast;
And, with unwearied wings, each part t'inquire
Of the wide rule of his renowned sire."

SPENSER.

_Butterfly._--Small. The tibiæ and the tarsi of the mesothoracic and metathoracic legs are more lightly armed with spines than in the genera _Argynnis_ and _Brenthis_. The palpi are not swollen. They are clothed with long hairs and have the third joint finely pointed. The antennæ are about half as long as the costa of the fore wings, and are provided with a short, heavy, excavated, or spoon-shaped club. The subcostal of the fore wings is five-branched, the first nervule always arising before the end of the cell, the second at the end or just beyond it. The cell of the primaries is closed, of the secondaries open. The markings upon the wings are altogether different from those in the two preceding genera, and the spots on the under side of the wings are not silvered, as in the genus _Brenthis_.

_Egg._--The egg is rounded at the base, subconical, truncated, and depressed at the upper end and fluted by light raised ridges (see p. 4, Fig. 8).

_Caterpillar._--The larvæ are cylindrical, armed in the mature form on each segment with comparatively short spines thickly covered with diverging hairs, or needle-shaped spines. They are known in some species to be gregarious in their early stages, and then to separate before maturity. They feed upon the _Scrophulariaceæ_, upon _Castileja_, _Diplopappus_, and other plants.

_Chrysalis._--The chrysalis is pendant, rounded at the head, provided with more or less sharply pointed tubercles on the dorsal surface, and generally white or some shade of light gray, blotched with brown or black, and marked with reddish or orange spots on the dorsal side.

This genus is very large and is distributed widely over all the colder portions of the north temperate zone. There are many species found in Europe, in Siberia, in China, and in the northern islands of Japan. On the upper slopes of the Himalayas it is also represented by a few species. In North America the genus is well represented, the most of the species being found upon the mountain-slopes and in the valleys of the Pacific coast region. Only two species occur in the Eastern States.

(1) =Melitæa phaëton=, Drury, Plate XVI, Fig. 1, ♂; Plate V, Figs. 15, 16, _chrysalis_ (The Baltimore).

_Butterfly_, ♂.--The upper side is black, with a marginal row of red spots, followed by three rows of pale-yellow spots on the fore wings and two on the hind wings. Besides these there are some large red spots on the cells of both wings, a large red spot about the middle of the costa of the hind wing, and a few scattering yellow spots, forming an incomplete fourth row on the fore wing and an incomplete third row on the hind wing. On the under side all the spots of the upper side reappear, but heavier and more distinct, and on the hind wings there are two additional rows of yellow spots, and a number of irregular patches of red and yellow at the base of both wings.

♀.--The female is much like the male. Expanse, ♂, 1.75-2.00 inches; ♀, 2.00-2.60 inches.

_Egg._--The egg which is outlined upon p. 4, Fig. 8, is brownish-yellow when first laid, then changes to crimson and becomes black just before hatching. The eggs are laid by the female in large clusters on the under side of the leaf of the food-plant.

_Caterpillar._--The life-history in all the stages will be found minutely described by Edwards in "The Butterflies of North America," vol. ii, and by Scudder in "The Butterflies of New England," vol. i. The mature larva is black, banded with orange-red, and beset with short, bristly, black spines. Before and during hibernation, which takes place after the third moult, the caterpillars are gregarious, and construct for themselves a web in which they pass the winter. After the rigors of winter are past, and the food-plant, which is commonly _Chelone glabra_, begins to send up fresh shoots, they recover animation, scatter, and fall to feeding again, and after the fifth moult reach maturity.

_Chrysalis._--The chrysalis is pendant, formed generally at a considerable distance from the spot where the caterpillar feeds, for the larvæ wander off widely just before pupation. It is pearly-gray, blotched with dark brown in stripes and spots, with some orange markings.

This very beautiful butterfly is quite local, found in colonies in swampy places where the food-plant grows, but in these spots sometimes appearing in swarms. It occurs in the northern portions of the United States and in Canada, extending as far north as the Lake of the Woods, and as far south as West Virginia. It does not occur west of the Rocky Mountains.

(2) =Melitæa chalcedon=, Doubleday and Hewitson, Plate XVI, Fig. 2, ♂ (Chalcedon).

_Butterfly._--The male and female are much alike. The wings are black, spotted with red and ochreous-yellow. On the under side they are brick-red, with the spots of the upper side repeated, and in addition at the base a number of large and distinct yellow spots. Expanse, ♂, 1.75-2.00 inches; ♀, 2.50 inches.

_Early Stages._--For a knowledge of these the reader may consult Edwards, "The Butterflies of North America," vol. i, and "Papilio," vol. iv, p. 63; Wright, "Papilio," vol. iii, p. 123, and other authorities. The egg is pale yellowish when first laid, pitted at the base, and ribbed vertically above. The caterpillar is black, with the bristling processes on the segments longer than in the preceding species. The chrysalis is pale gray, blotched with brown. The food-plants are _Mimulus_ and _Castileja_.

This very pretty species is apparently quite common in northern California about Mount Shasta. It is subject to variation, and I possess a dozen remarkable aberrations, in one of which the fore wings are solid black without spots, and the hind wings marked by only one central band of large yellow spots; another representing the opposite color extreme, in which yellow has almost wholly replaced the black and red. The majority of these aberrant forms are females. They are very striking.

(3) =Melitæa macglashani=, Rivers, Plate XVI, Fig. 3, ♂ (Macglashan's Checker-spot).

_Butterfly._--Larger than the preceding species, with the red spots on the outer margin bigger, the yellow spots generally larger and paler. Expanse, ♂, 1.85-2.00 inches; ♀, 2.25-3.00 inches.

_Early Stages._--Unknown.

This insect is represented in the Edwards collection by a considerable series. They come from Truckee, California.

(4) =Melitæa colon=, Edwards, Plate XVI, Fig. 5, ♂ (Colon).

_Butterfly._--Of the same size and general appearance as _M. chalcedon_, with which I believe it to be identical, the only possible satisfactory mark of distinction which I am able to discover on comparing the types with a long series of _chalcedon_ being the reduced size of the marginal row of yellow spots on the upper side of the primaries, which in one of the types figured in the plate are almost obsolete. They appear, however, in other specimens labeled "Type." The learned author of the species lays stress, in his original description, upon the shape of the spots composing the band of spots second from the margin on the under side of the hind wings; but I find that the same points he dwells upon as diacritic of this species are apparent in many specimens of what undoubtedly are _chalcedon_. Expanse, 1.75-2.50 inches.

_Early Stages._--These have not been recorded.

The types came from the region of the Columbia River, in Washington and Oregon.

(5) =Melitæa anicia=, Doubleday and Hewitson, var. =beani=, Skinner, Plate XVIII, Fig. 13, ♂ (Bean's Checker-spot).

_Butterfly._--_M. anicia_ is a well-known Californian species, smaller than _M. chalcedon_, and with a great deal of red on the basal and discal areas of both wings upon the upper side. An extremely small and dark form of this species, found on the bleak, inhospitable mountain-tops about Laggan, in Alberta, has been named by Dr. Skinner in honor of Mr. Bean, its discoverer. The figure in our plate, which is taken from Dr. Skinner's original type, sufficiently defines the characteristics of the upper surface. Expanse, 1.50 inch.

_Early Stages._--The early stages of _M. anicia_ and its varietal forms are quite unknown.

_M. anicia_ is found in Colorado, Montana, Washington, and British America.

(6) =Melitæa nubigena=, Behr, Plate XVI, Fig. 6, ♂; var. =wheeleri=, Edwards, Plate XVI, Fig. 9, ♂ (The Clouded Checker-spot).

_Butterfly._--Smaller than any of the foregoing species, and characterized by the much redder ground-color of the upper side of the wings, an extreme form being the variety _M. wheeleri_, in which the black ground-color is greatly reduced and almost wholly obliterated on parts of the primaries. There are other marks of distinction given in the figures in the plate which will enable the student easily to recognize this species, which is subject to much variation, especially in the female sex. Expanse, 1.20-1.50 inch.

_Early Stages._--Mead, in the "Report upon the Lepidoptera of the Wheeler Survey," has described the caterpillar and chrysalis.

The species is common in Nevada.

(7) =Melitæa augusta=, Edwards, Plate XVI, Fig. 4, ♂ (Augusta).

_Butterfly,_.--This is another species in which red predominates as the color of the upper side, but it may at once be distinguished by the broad, clear red band on the secondaries, on either side of which are the marginal and outer median rows of yellow spots, and by the bands of yellow spots on the primaries, which are not so well marked in _M. nubigena_. Expanse, ♂, 1.50-1.75 inch; ♀, 1.75-2.00 inches.

_Early Stages._--Unknown.

The habitat of this species is southern California.

(8) =Melitæa baroni=, Henry Edwards, Plate XVI, Fig 7, ♂ (Baron's Checker-spot).

_Butterfly._--This species closely resembles _chalcedon_ upon the upper side, but is smaller and much more heavily spotted with deep red on the upper side toward the base and on the median area of the wings. The bands of light spots on the under side are paler than in _chalcedon_, being white or very pale yellow, narrow, and more regular. Expanse, ♂, 1.50-1.80 inch; ♀, 1.60-1.90 inch.

_Early Stages._--These are in part given by Edwards, "The Butterflies of North America," vol. iii. The food-plant is _Castileja_. The young larvæ have the same habit as those of _M. phaëton_ in the matter of spinning a common web in which to hibernate.

The species is found in northern California.

(9) =Melitæa rubicunda=, Henry Edwards, Plate XVI, Fig. 10, ♂ (The Ruddy Checker-spot).

_Butterfly._--Of the same size as _M. baroni_, from which it is most easily distinguished, among other things, by the tendency of the outer row of small yellow spots near the margin of the hind wings on the upper side to become greatly reduced, and in a majority of specimens to be altogether wanting, as in the specimen figured in our plate. Expanse, ♂, 1.50-1.60 inch; ♀, 1.80 inch.

_Early Stages._--For a knowledge of what is thus far known of these the reader may consult the "Canadian Entomologist," vol. xvii, p. 155. The caterpillar feeds on _Scrophularia_.

The range of this species is in northern California.

(10) =Melitæa taylori=, Plate XVI, Fig. 16, ♂ (Taylor's Checker-spot).

_Butterfly._--This insect resembles _M. baroni_, but is smaller, the red spots on the wings are larger and more conspicuous, and the light bands of pale spots more regular and paler in color, in many specimens being quite white. It looks at first sight like a diminutive edition of Baron's Checker-spot, and possibly is only a northern race of this species. Expanse, ♂, 1.25-1.50 inch; ♀, 1.50-1.75 inch.

_Early Stages._--Mr. W.H. Danby of Victoria, B.C., informs us in the "Canadian Entomologist," vol. xxi, p. 121, that the food-plant of this species is the ribwort-plantain (_Plantago lanceolata_, Linn.).

It is found on Vancouver's Island.

(11) =Melitæa editha=, Boisduval, Plate XVI, Fig. 8, ♂ (Editha).

_Butterfly._--Characterized by the considerable enlargement and the disposition in regular bands of the pale spots on the upper side of the primaries, and by the tendency to a grayish cast in the darker markings of the upper side, some specimens, especially females, being quite gray. Expanse, ♂, 1.50 inch; ♀, 2.00 inches.

_Early Stages._--The food-plants, according to Henry Edwards, who described the caterpillar and chrysalis in the "Canadian Entomologist," vol. v, p. 167, are _Erodium cicutarium_, clover, and violets.

The habitat of this species is southern California.

(12) =Melitæa acastus=, Edwards, Plate XVI, Fig. 11, ♂; Fig. 12, ♂, _under side_ (Acastus).

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The Butterfly BookChapter IV: Books About North American Butterflies (3)

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