Chapter IV: Books About North American Butterflies (4)

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_Butterfly._--With thinner and less robust wings than any of the species of the genus hitherto mentioned. It is prevalently fulvous upon the upper side, and on the under side of the hind wings heavily and somewhat regularly banded with yellowish-white spots, possessing some pearly luster. Expanse, ♂, 1.50 inch; ♀, 1.60 inch.

_Early Stages._--Unknown.

Common in Nevada, Utah, and Montana.

(13) =Melitæa palla=, Boisduval, Plate XVI, Fig. 13, ♂; Fig. 14, ♂, _under side_ (The Northern Checker-spot).

_Butterfly._--On the upper side resembling the preceding species, but with the median band of spots on the hind wings paler. On the under side the markings are different, as is shown in the plate. Expanse, ♂, 1.50 inch; ♀, 1.75 inch.

_Early Stages._--The larva and chrysalis were described by Henry Edwards, the actor naturalist, in the "Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences," vol. v, p. 167. The food-plant is _Castileja_.

The species ranges from California to Colorado, and northward into British Columbia.

(14) =Melitæa whitneyi=, Behr, Plate XVII, Fig. 7, ♂; Fig. 8, ♂, _under side_ (Whitney's Checker-spot).

_Butterfly._--The markings are much as in _M. palla_, the spots are lighter fulvous and larger than in that species, the yellow bands on the under side are more prominent, and the marginal spots have a silvery luster which is lacking in _M. palla_. The female has the yellow of the under side more prominent than is the case in the male sex. Expanse, ♂, 1.50 inch; ♀, 1.70 inch.

_Early Stages._--Altogether unknown.

Whitney's Checker-spot ranges from California into Nevada.

(15) =Melitæa hoffmanni=, Behr, Plate XVII, Fig. 13, ♂; Fig. 14, ♀, _aberration_ (Hoffmann's Checker-spot).

_Butterfly_, ♂.--General style of marking much as in the two preceding species, but with the basal area black, and the black markings toward the outer margin not so heavy, giving it here a more fulvous appearance. The median bands on both wings are broader and paler than in _M. palla._ The under side is much as in the last-mentioned species, but the yellow markings are more prominent.

♀.--Much like the male. Expanse, ♂, 1.35 inch; ♀, 1.45 inch.

_Early Stages._--Unknown.

This species, which is found in California and Nevada, is subject to extreme variation, and I have placed upon the plate one out of many beautiful and singular aberrations which I possess.

(16) =Melitæa gabbi=, Behr, Plate XVI, Fig. 15, ♂ (Gabb's Checker-spot).

_Butterfly._--In the style of its markings on the upper side it almost completely resembles _M. acastus_, but the dark markings are slighter, giving the wings a more fulvous appearance. On the under side the bands are narrower, defined more sharply with black, and pearly, almost silvery white, whereas in _acastus_ they are pale yellowish-white, and not so lustrous. Expanse, ♂, 1.20 inch; ♀, 1.50 inch.

_Early Stages._--Unknown.

The habitat of this species is southern California.

(17) =Melitæa harrisi=, Scudder, Plate XVII, Fig. 5, ♂; Fig. 6, ♀, _under side_; Plate V, Figs. 17-18, _chrysalis_ (Harris' Checker-spot).

_Butterfly_, ♂.--Wings fulvous, black at the base and on the outer margin, with five fulvous spots in the cell of the fore wing, two below the cell; and three in the cell of the hind wing. The black border is widest at the apex of the fore wing, and below this runs inwardly on the veins. There are two white spots near the apex. At the anal angle on the hind wing the border is somewhat divided so as to present the appearance of two indistinct lines. On the under side the wings are fulvous, marked with black bands and spots, and crossed by bands and crescents of pale yellow, as is shown in the figure on the plate.

♀.--The female is much like the male. Expanse, ♂, 1.50 inch; ♀, 1.75 inch.

_Egg._--The eggs are lemon-yellow, in the form of a truncated cone, with fifteen or sixteen vertical ribs, which are highest about the middle.

_Caterpillar._--The matured caterpillar is reddish-fulvous, with a black stripe on the back. Each segment is marked with one black ring before and two black rings behind the sets of spiny tubercles with which the segments are adorned. There are nine rows of spines, those above the feet being quite small. The spines are black, tapering, and set with diverging black hairs. The food-plants are aster and _Diplopappus umbellatus_.

_Chrysalis._--The chrysalis is pearly-gray or white, blotched with dark brown or black.

This choice little butterfly ranges from Nova Scotia to Wisconsin, extending as far south as northern Illinois, and northward to Ottawa.

(18) =Melitæa elada=, Hewitson, Plate XVII, Fig. 2, ♂ (Hewitson's Checker-spot).

_Butterfly_, ♂.--The wings on the upper side are black, crossed by numerous bands of small fulvous spots, the one crossing the middle of the median area being composed of the largest spots. The fore wings on the under side are fulvous, shading outwardly into ferruginous. The spots and bands of the upper side reappear upon the under side, but are lighter, and the submarginal row of crescents is pale yellow and very distinct, the spot between the second and third median nervules being the largest, and the spot between the fourth and fifth subcostals being only a little smaller. The under side of the hind wings is deep ferruginous, crossed by bands of pearly pale-yellow spots, those of the outer margin being the largest.

♀.--The female is much like the male, with the ground-color a little paler. Expanse, ♂, .90 inch; ♀, 1.00-1.10 inch.

_Early Stages._--Unknown.

This little species is found in western Texas, Arizona, and northern Mexico.

(19) =Melitæa dymas=, Edwards, Plate XVI, Fig. 18, ♀ (Dymas).

_Butterfly._--This species is closely related in size and the style of some of the markings to the foregoing species, but may be at once distinguished by the lighter ground-color, which is pale fulvous, and the totally different style of the marginal markings on the under side of the wings. The female represented in the plate is a trifle paler than the male. Expanse, ♂, .85 inch; ♀, 1.00 inch.

_Early Stages_--Unknown.

The habitat of this species is southwestern Texas.

(20) =Melitæa perse=, Edwards, Plate XVI, Fig. 19, ♂ (Perse).

_Butterfly._--This is nearly related to the two foregoing species, but the ground-color is darker fulvous than in _dymas_, the markings are slight as in that species, and the arrangement of the spots and bands on the under side is similar. The marginal crescents on the under side of the primaries are largest at the apex and rapidly diminish in size, vanishing altogether about the middle of the wing. Expanse, ♂, 1.00 inch; ♀, 1.10 inch.

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

The only specimens so far found have come from Arizona.

(21) =Melitæa chara=, Edwards, Plate XVII, Fig. 3, ♂; Fig. 4, ♂, _under side_ (Chara).

_Butterfly._--No lengthy description of this pretty little species is required, as the plate, which gives both sides of the wings, shows their peculiarities with sufficient accuracy to enable an exact determination to be made. The whitish spot on the costa before the apex on the upper side, and the chalky-white markings and spots on the under side, serve at once to distinguish this form from its near allies. Expanse, ♂, 1.00 inch; ♀, 1.25 inch.

_Early Stages._--Unknown.

I have a large series of this species, all from Arizona, where it appears to be common.

(22) =Melitæa leanira=, Boisduval, Plate XVI, Fig. 20, ♀ (Leanira).

_Butterfly_, ♂.--Ground-color brownish-black, fulvous on the costa, with submarginal, median, and basal rows of yellow spots. Both the primaries and secondaries have a marginal row of red spots, and the former have in addition a submarginal row of such spots. The under side of the primaries is reddish-fulvous, with the markings of the upper side reproduced. The secondaries have a marginal row of yellow crescents, then a black band inclosing yellow spots, then a median band of long yellow crescents. The remainder of the wing to its insertion is black, spotted with yellow.

♀.--Much like the male. Expanse, ♂, 1.50 inch; ♀, 1.75 inch.

_Early Stages._--Unknown.

This pretty insect ranges from southern California and Arizona to Nevada, Montana, and British America.

(23) =Melitæa wrighti=, Edwards, Plate XVII, Fig. 9, ♂; Fig. 10, ♀, _under side,_ (Wright's Checker-spot).

_Butterfly._--Much like _M. leanira_, but with more fulvous upon the upper side of the wings, and the under side yellow. The black bands on the secondaries are reduced, and the dividing-lines between the spots are confined to the nervules, which are narrowly black. This is probably only a varietal form of the preceding species. I figure the types. Expanse, ♂, 1.30 inch; ♀, 1.80 inch.

_Early Stages._--Unknown.

Habitat, southern California.

(24) =Melitæa alma=, Strecker, Plate XVII, Fig. 1, ♂ (Strecker's Checker-spot).

_Butterfly_, ♂.--The upper side of the wings is bright fulvous, with the margins and veins black. There are three rows of transverse spots paler than the ground-color. The fore wings on the under side are pale fulvous, with pale-yellow spots and a submarginal and marginal row of yellow spots separated by a narrow black line. The hind wings on this side are yellow, with the veins and margins black, and a transverse double band of black on the outer margin of the median area.

♀.--Much like the male, but larger, and redder on the upper side. Expanse, ♂, 1.25 inch; ♀, 1.50 inch.

_Early Stages._--Unknown.

The specimens I have came from the Death Valley. The species occurs in southern Utah and Arizona.

(25) =Melitæa thekla=, Edwards, Plate XVII, Fig. 15, ♂, _under side_; Fig. 16, ♂ (Thekla).

_Butterfly_, ♂.--The upper side of the wings is fulvous, black toward the base and on the outer margin. The primaries are adorned with a large oval pale-fulvous spot at the end of the cell, a small one on the middle of the upper side of the cell, and another small one below the cell, at the origin of the first median nervule. The discal area is defined outwardly by a very irregular fine black transverse line, beyond which is a transverse band of pale-fulvous oblong spots, an incomplete series of spots of the ground-color sharply defined upon the black outer shade, followed by a row of irregular white submarginal spots. The transverse bands of spots on the primaries are repeated upon the secondaries, where they are more regular and the spots more even in size. On the under side both wings are pale red, with the light spots of the upper side reappearing as pale-yellow sharply defined spots. The fringes are checkered black and white.

♀.--Much like the male, but larger. Expanse, ♂, 1.35-1.50 inch; ♀, 1.50-1.75 inch.

_Early Stages._--Unknown.

This species is common in Texas. It is identical, as an examination of the type shows, with _M. bolli_, Edwards, and the latter name as a synonym falls into disuse.

(26) =Melitæa minuta=, Edwards, Plate XVII, Fig. 11, ♂, _under side_; Fig. 12, ♂ (The Smaller Checker-spot).

_Butterfly_, ♂.--This species is fulvous on the upper side, rather regularly banded with black lines. The veins are also black. The result is that the wings appear to be more regularly checkered than in any other species which is closely allied to this. The markings of the under side are white edged with black, and are shown very well in the plate, so that a lengthy description is unnecessary. Expanse, ♂, 1.25-1.35 inch; ♀, 1.50-1.60 inch.

_Early Stages._--Unknown.

The specific name, _minuta_, is not altogether appropriate. There are many smaller species of the genus. It is found rather commonly in Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico.

(27) =Melitæa arachne=, Edwards, Plate XVI, Fig. 22, ♀ (Arachne).

_Butterfly._--I have given in the plate a figure of a female bearing this name in the Edwards collection. It is remarkably pale on the upper side. There is a large series of types and paratypes in the collection, but all of them vary on the upper side of the wings in the intensity of the fulvous ground-color and the width of the black markings. Underneath they are absolutely like _M. minuta_. I think _M. arachne_ is without much doubt a synonym for _M. minuta_. The species varies very greatly. The types are from Colorado and western Texas. Expanse as in _M. minuta_.

_Early Stages._--Unknown.

(28) =Melitæa nympha=, Edwards, Plate XVI, Fig. 21, ♂ (Nympha).

_Butterfly._--This species differs from _M. minuta_ only in having the black markings darker and the outer median bands of spots on the upper side yellow. On the under side the pattern of the markings is exactly as in _M. minuta_. It seems to me to be a dark, aberrant form of _M. minuta_, but is very well marked, and constant in a large series of specimens, so that we cannot be sure until some one breeds these creatures from the egg. Expanse, the same as that of _M. minuta_.

_Early Stages._--Unknown.

Habitat, Arizona.

In addition to the species of the genus _Melitæa_ illustrated in our plates there are a few others which are credited to our fauna, some of these correctly and some erroneously, and a number of so-called species have been described which are not true species, but varieties or aberrations.

COLLECTING IN JAPAN

I was tired of the Seiyo-ken, the only hotel at which foreigners could be entertained without the discomfort of sleeping upon the floor. There is a better hotel in Tokyo now. I had looked out for five days from my window upon the stinking canal through which the tide ebbs and flows in Tsukiji. I felt if I stayed longer in the lowlands that I would contract malarial fever or some other uncomfortable ailment, and resolved to betake myself to the mountains, the glorious mountains, which rise all through the interior of the country, wrapped in verdure, their giant summits capped with clouds, many of them the abode of volcanic thunder. So I went by rail to the terminus of the road, got together the coolies to pull and push my jinrikishas, and, accompanied by a troop of native collectors, made my way up the Usui-toge, the pass over which travelers going from western Japan into eastern Japan laboriously crept twelve years ago.

What a sunset when we reached an elevation of three thousand feet above the paddy-fields which stretch across the Kwanto to the Gulf of Yeddo! What a furious thunder-storm came on just as night closed in! Then at half-past nine the moon struggled out from behind the clouds, and we pushed on up over the muddy roads, until at last a cold breath of night air sweeping from the west began to fan our faces, and we realized that we were at the top of the pass, and before us in the dim moonlight loomed the huge form of Asama-yama, that furious volcano, which more than once has laid the land waste for leagues around, and compared with which Vesuvius is a pygmy. We slept on Japanese mats, and in the morning, the drops glittering on every leaf, we started out to walk through the fields to Oiwake, our baggage going forward, we intending to loiter all day amid the charms of nature. Seven species of lilies bloomed about us in the hedges and the fields; a hundred plants, graceful and beautiful in blossom, scented the air with their aroma, and everywhere were butterflies and bees. Above us hung in the sky a banner, the great cloud which by day and by night issues from the crater of Asama-yama. Five species of fritillaries flashed their silvery wings by copse and stream; great black papilios soared across the meadows; blue lycænas, bright chrysophani, and a dozen species of wood-nymphs gamboled over the low herbage and among the grass. Torosan, my chief collector, was in his element. "Dana-san" (_my lord_, or _my master_), "this kind Yokohama no have got." "Dana-san, this kind me no catchee Tokyo side." And so we wandered down the mountain-slope, taking species new alike to American and Japanese, until the sun was sinking in the west. The cloud-banner had grown crimson and purple in the sunset when we wandered into the hospitable doorway of the wayside inn at Oiwake. There we made our headquarters for the week, and thence we carried away a thousand butterflies and moths and two thousand beetles as the guerdon of our chase.

Genus PHYCIODES, Doubleday

(The Crescent-spots)

"Flusheth the rise with her purple favor,
Gloweth the cleft with her golden ring.
'Twixt the two brown butterflies waver
Lightly settle, and sleepily swing."

JEAN INGELOW.

_Butterfly._--The butterflies composing this genus are generally quite small. Their wings on the upper side are fulvous, or brown with black margins, spots, and lines upon the upper side of the wings, and with the under side of the wings reproducing the spots of the upper side in paler tints. Of the spots of the under side of the wings one of the most characteristic is the pale crescent situated on the outer margin of the hind wings, between the ends of the second and third median nervules. This spot is frequently pearly-white or silvered. Structurally the butterflies of this genus may be distinguished from the preceding genus by the enlarged second joint of the palpi and the very fine, extremely pointed third joint. In the neuration of the wings and in their habits these butterflies closely approximate _Melitæa_.

_Eggs._--The eggs are always higher than broad, with the surface at the base more or less pitted, giving them a thimble-like appearance. On the upper end in some species they have a few short, vertical ridges, radiating from the micropyle.

_Caterpillar._--The caterpillar is cylindrical, marked with pale longitudinal stripes upon a darker ground, and adorned with tubercles arranged in regular rows. These tubercles are generally much shorter than in the genus _Melitæa_. The caterpillars do not, so far as is known, weave webs at any time.

_Chrysalis._--The chrysalis is pendant, with the head slightly bifid. The dorsal region of the abdomen is provided with slight tubercles. The color is generally some shade of pale gray, blotched with black or dark brown.

This genus finds its principal development in South and Central America, which are very rich in species, some of them mimicking in a most marvelous manner the butterflies of the protected genus _Heliconius_ and its allies. The species found in the United States and Canada are for the most part not very gaily colored insects, chaste shades of brown, or yellow, and black predominating.

(1) =Phyciodes nycteis=, Doubleday and Hewitson, Plate XVII, Fig. 28, ♂, _under side_; Fig. 29, ♂; Fig. 30, ♀; Plate V, Fig. 19, _chrysalis_ (Nycteis).

_Butterfly._--On the upper side very closely resembling _Melitæa_ harrisi, for which it may easily be mistaken upon the wing. The under side of the hind wings is very different, and may at once be distinguished by the lighter color of the base of the wing, and the pale, silvery crescent on the outer margin. Expanse, ♂ 1.25-1.65 inch; ♀, 1.65-2.00 inches.

_Egg._--The egg is half as high again as broad, marked with sixteen or seventeen vertical ribs above, and pitted about the middle by hexagonal cells. It is pale green in color.

_Caterpillar._--The caterpillar undergoes four moults after hatching. In the mature stage it is velvety-black, with a dull orange stripe along the back, and purplish streaks on the sides. The body is studded with whitish spots, each giving rise to a delicate black hair, and is further beset with rather short, black, hairy spines.

_Chrysalis._--The chrysalis is pearly-gray, blotched with dark brown.

The life-history of this species has been carefully worked out, and all the details may be found described in the most minute manner by Edwards and by Scudder.

The insect ranges from Maine to North Carolina, and thence westward to the foot-hills of the Rocky Mountains.

(2) =Phyciodes ismeria=, Boisduval and Leconte, Plate XVII, Fig. 24, ♂; Fig. 25, ♂, _under side_ (Ismeria).

_Butterfly_, ♂.--Easily distinguished from all other allied species by the double row of small light spots on the dark margin of the fore wings on the upper side, and by the silvery, narrow, and greatly bent line of bright silvery spots crossing the middle of the hind wings on the under side.

♀.--The female is like the male, but larger and paler and all the spots on the upper side are pale fulvous, and not as distinctly white on the outer margin as in the male sex. Expanse, ♂, 1.15-1.35 inch; ♀, 1.35-2.00 inches.

_Caterpillar._--The caterpillar, according to Boisduval and Leconte, is yellowish, with blackish spines and three longitudinal blackish stripes. The head, the thoracic legs, and the under side are black; the other legs are yellow.

_Chrysalis._--According to the same authors, the chrysalis is pale gray, with paler light spots and nearly white dorsal tubercles.

This insect ranges over a wide territory from Canada to the Southern and Western States east of the Rocky Mountains.

(3) =Phyciodes vesta=, Edwards, Plate XVII, Fig. 17, ♂; Fig. 18, ♀; Fig. 19, ♀, _under side_ (Vesta).

_Butterfly_, ♂.--On the upper side it closely resembles the winter form _marcia_ of _Phyciodes tharos_, Drury; but the black markings are more evenly distributed. The under side is a pale yellowish-fulvous, and the black markings are slight.

♀.--The female is like the male, but paler. Expanse, ♂, 1.15 inch; ♀, 1.25 inch.

_Early Stages._--The chrysalis has been described by Edwards in the "Canadian Entomologist," vol. xi, p. 129. This is all we know of the early life of the insect.

It is found in Texas and Mexico.

(4) =Phyciodes phaon=, Edwards, Plate XVII, Fig. 22, ♂; Fig. 23. ♀, _under side_ (Phaon).

_Butterfly_, ♂.--The ground-color of the male is paler on the upper side than in _Phyciodes tharos_, and the black markings are much heavier. The median band on the fore wings is yellowish. The wings on the under side are yellow, shaded with fulvous on the primaries, on which the dark markings are heavy.

♀.--Like the male. Expanse, ♂, .90 inch; ♀, 1.25 inch.

_Early Stages._--Unknown.

This insect inhabits the Gulf States, and has been occasionally taken in Kansas.

(5) =Phyciodes tharos=, Drury, Plate XVIII, Fig. 1, ♂; Fig. 2, ♀; var. =marcia=, Edwards, Plate XVIII, Fig. 3, ♂; Fig. 4, ♀; Plate V, Figs. 20-22, _chrysalis_ (The Pearl Crescent).

_Butterfly._--This very common and well-known little insect scarcely needs to be described. The upper side is bright fulvous, with heavy black borders; all the other dark markings are slight. The wings on the under side are paler, with the dark markings of the upper side showing through, and there are additional markings of brown on the hind wings. Expanse, ♂, 1.25 inch; ♀, 1.65 inch.

_Early Stages._--The early stages of this insect have been worked out with the most extreme care by Mr. Edwards, and the reader who is curious to know about them should consult "The Butterflies of North America." Dr. Scudder also has minutely and laboriously described the early stages in "The Butterflies of New England." The egg is light greenish-yellow. The caterpillar, which feeds upon various species of aster and allied _Compositæ_, is dark brown after the third moult, its back dotted with yellow, adorned with short, black, bristly spines, which are yellow at the base. The chrysalis is grayish-white, mottled with dark spots and lines.

This species is one of many dimorphic species, the winter form _marcia_, which emerges in spring, having the under side brighter, and the light markings more conspicuous on that side than in the summer form, which has been called _morpheus_. Concerning all of this, and the way in which cold affects the color of butterflies, the reader will do well to consult the splendid pages of Edwards and of Scudder.

The pretty little Pearl Crescent ranges from southern Labrador to Florida; in fact, all over North America north of Texas and south of the region of Hudson Bay, except the Pacific coast of California.

(6) =Phyciodes batesi=, Reakirt, Plate XVII, Fig. 35, ♂; Fig. 36, ♀, _under side_ (Bates' Crescent-spot).

_Butterfly_, ♂.--On the upper side much like _P. tharos_, with the black markings very heavy. The under side of the hind wings is uniformly pale fulvous or yellow, with a row of faint submarginal brown spots.

♀.--Like the male. Expanse, ♂, 1.25 inch; ♀, 1.50-1.65 inch.

_Early Stages._--Unknown.

This species ranges from New York to Virginia, and westward to Ohio.

(7) =Phyciodes pratensis=, Behr, Plate XVII, Fig. 37, ♂; Fig. 38, ♀, _under side_ (The Meadow Crescent-spot).

_Butterfly_, ♂.--The butterfly resembles the preceding species on the upper side, but the ground-color is much paler and the black markings are not so heavy. The under side of the wings is pale fulvous, spotted with yellow.

♀.--The female has the black markings of the upper side heavier than the male, and all the spots pale yellow. The markings on the under side are heavier than in the male sex. Expanse, ♂, 1.15 inch; ♀, 1.40 inch.

_Early Stages._--Unknown.

The range of this species is the Pacific coast from Oregon to Arizona.

(8) =Phyciodes orseis=, Edwards, Plate XVII, Fig. 31, ♂ (Orseis).

_Butterfly_, ♂.--The dark markings on the upper side are much heavier than in either of the two preceding species, and the fulvous spots are smaller, the marginal crescents more regular and distinct. The markings on the under side are also much heavier than in _P. batesi_ or _P. pratensis._

♀.--The female is like the male, but all the dark markings are heavier and the pale markings lighter. Expanse, ♂, 1.35 inch; ♀, 1.60 inch.

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

_Phyciodes orseis_ ranges from Washington Territory in the north to Mexico in the south.

(9) =Phyciodes camillus=, Edwards, Plate XVII, Fig. 32, ♂; Fig. 33, ♀; Fig. 34, ♂, _under side_ (The Camillus Crescent).

_Butterfly_, ♂.--The male is more like _P. pratensis_, but the light spots on the primaries are paler, on the secondaries brighter, fulvous. The dark markings on the under side are less pronounced than in _pratensis_.

♀.--The female is much like the male. Expanse, ♂, 1.30 inch; ♀, 1.50 inch.

_Early Stages._--These are wholly unknown.

The species is reported from British Columbia, Colorado, Montana, Kansas, and Texas.

(10) =Phyciodes mylitta=, Edwards, Plate XVII, Fig. 40, ♂, _under side_; Fig. 41, ♂ (The Mylitta Crescent).

_Butterfly_, ♂.--Broadly bright fulvous on the upper side, with the dark markings slight; on the under side closely resembling _P. tharos_, var. _marcia_, Edwards.

♀.--The female is like the male, but paler. Expanse, ♂, 1.15 inch; ♀, 1.25-1.50 inch.

_Early Stages._--These have been described by Mr. Harrison G. Dyar in the "Canadian Entomologist," vol. xxiii, p. 203. The eggs are laid in clusters upon the thistle (_Carduus_). The caterpillar in its final stage after the fourth moult is black, yellowish below, with a faint twinned yellow dorsal line and faint lines of the same color on the sides. The spines, which are arranged in six rows, are black; those of segments four, five, and six, yellow. The chrysalis is dull wood-brown.

This species has a wide range in the region of the Rocky Mountains, extending from Washington to Arizona, and eastward to Colorado.

(11) =Phyciodes barnesi=, Skinner, Plate XVIII, Fig. 5, ♂ (Barnes' Crescent-spot).

_Butterfly_, ♂.--Very like the following species, with the light fulvous of the upper side of the wings more widely extended, causing the dark markings to be greatly restricted. The figure in the plate is, in this species as in most others, that of the type, and I am under obligations to Dr. Skinner for kind permission to have the use of the specimen. Expanse, 1.75 inch.

The type came from Colorado Springs.

(12) =Phyciodes montana=, Behr, Plate XVII, Fig. 26, ♀, _under side_; Fig. 27, ♀ (The Mountain Crescent-spot).

_Butterfly._--Upon the upper side the wings are marked much as in _P. camillus_, but are prevalently bright fulvous, with the dark markings quite slight in most specimens. On the under side the wings are pale yellowish-fulvous. The female usually has the secondaries crossed by a broad median band of very pale spots. Expanse, ♂, 1.25 inch; ♀, 1.50 inch.

_Early Stages._--Unknown.

The habitat of this species is the Sierras of California and Nevada.

(13) =Phyciodes picta=, Edwards, Plate XVII, Fig. 20, ♀, _under side_; Fig. 21, ♂ (The Painted Crescent-spot).

_Butterfly._--The butterfly in both sexes somewhat closely resembles _P. phaon_ on the upper side. On the under side the fore wings are red on the median area, with the base, the costa, the apex, and the outer margin pale yellow; the black markings very prominent. The hind wings on the under side are nearly immaculate yellow. Expanse, ♂, .80-1.10 inch; ♀, 1.10-1.25 inch.

_Early Stages._--These may be found described with minute exactness by Mr. W.H. Edwards in the pages of the "Canadian Entomologist," vol. xvi, pp. 163-167. The egg is yellowish-green. The caterpillar moults five times. When mature it is about six tenths of an inch long, armed with seven principal rows of short spines, which appear to vary in color in the spring and fall broods, being light brown in the June brood and greenish-yellow in the October brood. The prevalent color of the caterpillar is some shade of yellowish-or greenish-brown, mottled with lighter and darker tints. The chrysalis is yellowish-brown. The food-plants of the caterpillar are various species of aster.

This species is found as far north as Nebraska, and is abundant in Colorado and New Mexico, ranging southward through Arizona into Mexico.

Genus ERESIA, Doubleday

_Butterfly._--Small butterflies, closely resembling the species of the genus _Phyciodes_ in the neuration of the wings, and only differing from them in the outline of the outer margin of the primaries, which are more or less excavated about the middle. In the style of the markings they differ somewhat widely from the butterflies of the genus _Phyciodes_, notably in the absence of the crescents on the margins of the wings. The wings on the upper side are generally some shade of deep brown or black, marked with spots and bands of white or fulvous, the median band on the hind wings being generally more or less conspicuous. In the pattern of their markings they illustrate a transition from the genus _Phyciodes_ to the genus _Synchloë._

_Egg._--Hitherto undescribed.

_Caterpillar._--Cylindrical, with seven rows of spines, one dorsal, and three lateral on each side; the spines are short, blunt, and armed with short bristles. The head is subcordate, with the vertices rounded. It moults four times.

_Chrysalis._--Cylindrical, abdomen stout, head-case short, beveled, nearly square at top, the vertices pyramidal. There are three rows of small tubercles on the dorsal side of the abdomen.

The caterpillars so far as known feed upon various _Compositæ_, as _Diclippa_ and _Actinomeris_.

The genus, which is somewhat doubtfully separable from _Phyciodes_, and probably possesses only subgeneric value, is well represented in Central and South America. But three species are found in the faunal region of which this book treats.

(1) =Eresia frisia=, Poey, Plate XVII, Fig. 42, ♂ (Frisia).

_Butterfly._--Upper side reddish-fulvous, clouded with fuscous at the base. On the basal area are waved black lines, separate on the hind wings, more or less blended on the fore wings. The outer border is broadly black. Between this border and the basal third the wing is crossed by irregular black bands, the spaces between which are paler fulvous than the base and the hind wings, those near the outer margin being whitish. These bands are continued broadly across the hind wings. The wings on the under side are fulvous, mottled with dark brown and white, and spotted with conspicuous white spots. The male and the female closely resemble each other. Expanse, 1.40 inch.

The early stages are wholly unknown.

The only locality within the limits of the United States in which this insect has been found is Key West, in Florida. It is abundant in the Antilles, Mexico, Central and South America.

(2) =Eresia texana=, Edwards, Plate XVIII, Fig. 8, ♀; Fig. 9, ♂, _under side_ (The Texan Eresia).

_Butterfly._--Black on the upper side of the wings, shading into reddish-brown on the basal area. The fore wings are spotted on the median and limbal areas with white, and the hind wings are adorned by a conspicuous median band of small white spots. On the under side the fore wings are fulvous at the base, broadly dark brown beyond the middle. The light spots of the upper side reappear on the lower side. The hind wings on the under side are marbled wood-brown on the basal area and the inner margin, darker brown externally. The white macular band of the upper side reappears on this side, but less distinct than above. Expanse, ♂, 1.25-1.50 inch; ♀, 1.60-1.75 inch.

_Early Stages._--For the only account of the life-history of this species the reader is referred to the "Canadian Entomologist," vol. xi, p. 127, where the indefatigable Edwards gives us an interesting account of his original observations.

This insect ranges from Texas into Mexico. It has been confounded by some with a closely allied insect, =Eresia ianthe=, Fabricius, and to show the difference we have given in Plate XVIII, Fig. 12, a representation of that species, by means of which the reader will be enabled to mark the difference on the upper surfaces of the two species.

(3) =Eresia punctata=, Edwards, Plate XVII, Fig. 39, ♂ (The Dotted Eresia).

_Butterfly._--A lengthy description of this little species is scarcely necessary, as the figure in the plate will suffice for its accurate determination. Nothing is known of its early stages. Expanse, 1.10 inch. It is found in New Mexico, Texas, Arizona, and Mexico. It has been recently declared to be identical with _E. tulcis_, Bates, an opinion I am not quite prepared to accept, but which, if correct, will force us, according to the law of priority, to substitute the name given by Bates for that given by Edwards.

Genus SYNCHLOË, Boisduval (The Patched Butterflies)

_Butterfly._--Medium-sized or small butterflies, rather gaily colored, although the species found in the United States are not very brilliant. They may be distinguished structurally from the butterflies of the two preceding genera not only by their larger size and the spindle-formed third article of the palpi, which in the genera _Eresia_ and _Phyciodes_ is thin and pointed like a needle, but also by the fact that the lower discocellular vein of the fore wings is generally quite straight and not bowed or angled as in the before-mentioned genera.

_Egg._--Similar in appearance to the eggs of the genus _Phyciodes_: obovoid, truncated, and slightly depressed at top, rounded at the bottom; the lower three fifths with shallow depressions; the upper part with about twenty-four light blunt-edged ribs. The eggs are laid in clusters upon the leaves of _Helianthus_.

_Caterpillar._--Varying in color, generally black or some shade of red or brown, covered with spines which are arranged as in the genus _Melitæa_ and are thickly beset with diverging bristles. The caterpillar moults four times.

_Chrysalis._--Shaped as in the genus _Melitæa_, light in color, blotched with dark brown or black spots and lines.

The genus is well represented in Central and South America. Some of the species are polymorphic, many varieties being produced from a single batch of eggs. The result has been considerable confusion in the specific nomenclature.

(1) =Synchloë janais=, Drury, Plate XVIII, Fig. 10, ♂ (The Crimson-patch).

_Butterfly._--Fore wings black above, spotted with white; hind wings black above, marked in the center with a broad band of crimson. On the under side the markings of the upper side of the fore wings are reproduced. The hind wings on the under side are black at the base and on the outer third; immediately at the base is a yellow bar; across the middle is a broad yellow band laved outwardly by red, upon which are numerous black spots. There is a marginal row of yellow spots and an inner row of smaller white spots on the limbal area. Expanse, 2.50-3.00 inches.

_Early Stages._--What is known of these is contained in articles published by Mr. William Schaus, "Papilio," vol. iii, p. 188; and by Henry Edwards, "Entomologica Americana," vol. iii, p. 161, to which the reader may refer.

The habitat of the species is Texas, Mexico, and Central America. The insect is very variable in the markings both of the upper and under sides, and several so-called species are only varietal forms of this.

(2) =Synchloë lacinia=, Hübner, Plate XVIII, Fig. 11, ♂; form =crocale=, Edwards, Plate XXIV, Fig. 8, ♂, _under side_; Fig. 9, ♂ (Lacinia).

_Butterfly._--This is a protean species, a dozen or more well-marked varietal forms being produced, many of them from a single batch of eggs. The wings on the upper side are black; both primaries and secondaries are crossed about the middle by a band of spots, generally broken on the primaries and continuous on the secondaries. These spots in the typical form _lacinia_ are fulvous, and the bands are broad. In the form _crocale_ the spots are white, the bands narrow. A great variety of intergrading forms are known and are represented in the author's collection, most of them bred specimens reared from the egg. On the under side the fore wings are marked as on the upper side. The hind wings on the under side are black, with a marginal row of spots, a transverse straight median band, a short basal band, and a costal edging, all bright straw-yellow; in addition there is a submarginal row of small white spots and a crimson patch of variable size at the anal angle. Expanse, ♂, 1.50-2.00 inches; ♀, 1.75-2.75 inches.

_Early Stages._--These are described fully by Edwards in the "Canadian Entomologist," vol. xxv, p. 286.

_Lacinia_ ranges from Texas and New Mexico to Bolivia.

FAUNAL REGIONS

That branch of zoölogical science which treats of the geographical distribution of animals is known as zoögeography. None of the zoölogical sciences has contributed more to a knowledge of the facts with which zoögeography deals than the science of entomology.

Various divisions of the surface of the earth, based upon the character of the living beings which inhabit them, have been suggested. At the present time, however, it is agreed that in a general way five major subdivisions are sufficient for the purposes of the science, and we therefore recognize five faunal regions, namely, the _Palæarctic_, which includes the temperate regions of the eastern hemisphere; the _Indo-Malayan_, covering the tropics of Asia and the islands lying south of that great continent, including Australia; the _Ethiopian_, covering the continent of Africa south of the lands bordering on the Mediterranean, and extending northward into the southern part of Arabia; the _Neotropical_, covering the continent of South America and the islands of the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico; and, finally, the _Nearctic_, covering the temperate and polar regions of North America. The butterflies with which this volume deals are mostly nearctic species, only a few species representing the neotropical region being found as stragglers into the extreme southern portion of the United States.

These five faunal regions are characterized by the presence of certain groups of insects which are more or less peculiar to them. In the Palæarctic Region, for instance, we find a very great development of the _Satyrinæ_, of the genera _Argynnis_, _Melitæa_, and _Lycæna_, and of the genus _Colias_. The genus _Papilio_ is but poorly represented, there being only three species found on the entire continent of Europe, and comparatively few in Asia north of the Himalayan mountain-ranges.

As soon as we pass from the boundaries of the Palæarctic Region into India there is discovered a great number of species of the genus _Papilio_. The _Euploeinæ_, of various genera, swarm, and splendid creatures, magnificent in color, present themselves, replacing among the _Nymphalinæ_ the small and obscurely colored forms which are found among the mountains of Europe and on the great Asiatic steppes. In the Indo-Malayan Region one of the most gorgeous of the papilionine genera is known as _Ornithoptera_. These great "bird-wing" butterflies are most brilliant in color in the male, and in the female attain an expanse of wing reaching in some species eight and even nine inches, so that it would be impossible to represent them in their natural dimensions upon a page such as that which is before the reader. One of these giants of the butterfly family, named _Victoria_ after her Majesty the Queen of England, is found in the Solomon Islands, and is probably the largest of all known butterflies. One specimen, belonging to the author, has an expanse of wing exceeding nine inches. Among the strangest of recent discoveries is _Ornithoptera paradisea_, which is found in New Guinea. The male has the hind wings produced in the form of a very delicate and slender tail; the upper surfaces of the wing are broadly marked with shining green and lustrous orange upon a velvety-black ground. The female is black with white spots, slightly marked with yellow, being obscure in color, as is for the most part characteristic of this sex among butterflies, as well as other animals.

The Ethiopian Region is rich in beautiful butterflies of the genus _Callosune_, which are white or yellow, having the tips of the anterior wings marked with crimson or purple. There are many scores of species of these which are found on the grassy park-like lands of southeastern Africa, and they range northward through Abyssinia into Arabia, and a few species even invade the hot lands of the Indian peninsula. In the great forests of the Congo and in fact throughout tropical Africa, the genus _Acræa_, composed of beautiful insects with long, narrow wings like the genus _Heliconius_, but for the most part yellow, rich brown, and red, spotted with black, abound. And here, too, are found some of the noblest species belonging to the great genus _Papilio_, among them that most singular and, until recently, rarest of the genus, _Papilio antimachus_ of Drury, one specimen of which, among a dozen or more in the author's possession, has wings which exceed in expanse even those of _Ornithoptera victoria_, though this butterfly, which seems to mimic the genus _Acræa_, has comparatively narrow wings, and they, therefore, do not cover so large an area as is covered in the case of the genus _Ornithoptera_.

In the Neotropical Region we are confronted by swarms of butterflies belonging to the _Ithomiinæ_, the _Heliconiinæ_, and the _Acræinæ_, all of which are known to be protected species, and which are mimicked by other species among the butterflies and moths of the region which they frequent. A naturalist familiar with the characteristics of the butterfly fauna of South America can at a glance determine whether a collection placed before him is from that country or not, merely by his knowledge of the peculiar coloration which is characteristic of the lepidoptera of the region. The most brilliant butterflies of the neotropical fauna are the _Morphos_, glorious insects, the under side of their wings marked with eye-like spots, the upper side resplendent in varying tints of iridescent blue.

In the Nearctic Region there is a remarkable development of the genera _Argynnis_, _Melitæa_, and _Phyciodes_. There are also a great many species of the _Satyrinæ_ and of the _Hesperiidæ_, or "skippers." The genus _Colias_ is also well represented. The Nearctic Region extends southwardly into northern Mexico, at high elevations, and is even continued along the chain of the Andes, and there are species which are found in the vicinity of San Francisco which occur in Chili and Patagonia. In fact, when we get to the southern extremity both of Africa and of South America we find certain genera characteristic of the north temperate zone, or closely allied to them, well represented.

Genus GRAPTA, Kirby

(The Angle-Wings)

_Butterfly._--Medium-sized or small, characterized by the more or less deeply excavated inner and outer margins of the fore wings, the tail-like projection of the hind wings at the extremity of the third median nervule, the closed cell of the same wings, and the thick squamation of the palpi on the under side, while on the sides and tops of the palpi there are but few scales. They are tawny on the upper side, spotted and bordered with black; on the under side mimicking the bark of trees and dead leaves, often with a c-shaped silvery spot on the hind wings. The insects hibernate in the butterfly form in hollow trees and other hiding-places.

_Egg._--The eggs are taller than broad, tapering upward from the base. The summit is broad and flat. The sides are marked by a few equidistant narrow longitudinal ribs, which increase in height to the top. A few delicate cross-lines are interwoven between these ribs. They are laid in clusters or in short string-like series (see p. 5, Fig. 10).

_Caterpillar._--The head is somewhat quadrate in outline, the body cylindrical, adorned with rows of branching spines (see Plate III, Figs. 23, 27, 31-33, 38).

_Chrysalis._--The chrysalids have the head more or less bifid. There is a prominent thoracic tubercle, and a double row of dorsal tubercles on the abdomen. Viewed from the back they are more or less excavated on the sides of the thorax. In color they are generally some shade of wood-brown or greenish.

The caterpillars feed for the most part upon the _Urticaceæ_, plants of the nettle tribe, such as the stinging-nettle, the elm, and the hop-vine, though the azalea and wild currants furnish the food of some species.

The genus is confined mainly to the north temperate zone.

(1) =Grapta interrogationis=, Fabricius, Plate I, Fig. 3, ♂, _under side_; form =fabricii=, Edwards, Plate XIX, Fig. 1, ♂; form umbrosa, Lintner, Plate XIX, Fig. 2, ♀; Plate III, Fig. 23, _larva_, from a blown specimen; Fig. 27, _larva_, copied from a drawing by Abbot; Plate IV, Figs. 21, 22, 24-26, 40, _chrysalis_ (The Question-sign).

_Butterfly._--Easily distinguished by its large size, being the largest species of the genus in our fauna. The fore wings are decidedly falcate, or sickle-shaped, bright fulvous on the upper side, spotted and bordered with dark brown and edged with pale blue. On the under side they are mottled brown, shaded with pale purplish, and have a silvery mark shaped like a semicolon on the hind wings. The dimorphic variety _umbrosa_, Lintner, has the upper side of the hind wings almost entirely black, except at the base. Expanse, 2.50 inches.

_Early Stages._--These have been frequently described, and the reader who wishes to know all about the minute details of the life-history will do well to consult the pages of Edwards and Scudder, who have written voluminously upon the subject. The food-plants are the elm, the hop-vine, and various species of nettles.

This is one of our commonest butterflies. It is double-brooded in the Middle States. It hibernates in the imago form. When the first warm winds of spring begin to blow, it may be found at the sap-pans in the sugar-camps, sipping the sweets which drip from the wounded trunks of the maples. It ranges all over the United States, except the Pacific coast, and is common throughout Canada and Nova Scotia.

(2) =Grapta comma=, Harris, form =dryas=, Plate XIX, Fig. 3, ♂; form =harrisi=, Edwards, Fig. 4, ♂; Plate III, Fig. 38, _larva_; Plate IV, Figs. 27, 29, 30, 39, 46-48, _chrysalis_ (The Comma Butterfly).

_Butterfly._--Dimorphic, in the form _dryas_ with the hind wings heavily suffused with black, in the form _harrisi_ predominantly fulvous. Expanse, 1.75-2.00 inches.

The caterpillars feed upon the _Urticaceæ_, and are very common upon the nettle. They vary greatly in color, some being almost snow-white. This species is found throughout Canada and the adjacent provinces, and ranges south to the Carolinas and Texas and over the Northwestern States.

(3) =Grapta satyrus=, Edwards, Plate XX, Fig. 1, ♀; Fig. 2, ♀, _under side_; form =marsyas=, Edwards, Plate XIX, Fig. 14, ♂; Fig. 15, ♂, _under side_; Plate III, Fig. 33, _larva_; Plate IV, Figs. 41, 42, _chrysalis_ (The Satyr).

_Butterfly._--The species is so accurately depicted in the plates that a description is hardly necessary. The form _marsyas_ is smaller, brighter, and with the dark spots on the upper side of the hind wings reduced in size. Expanse, 1.75-2.00 inches.

The food-plant of the caterpillar is the nettle. It occurs occasionally in Ontario, and thence ranges west, being not uncommon from Colorado to California and Oregon.

(4) =Grapta hylas=, Edwards, Plate XIX, Fig. 7, ♂; Fig. 8, ♂, _under side_ (The Colorado Angle-wing).

_Butterfly._--The butterfly closely resembles _G. silenus_ on the upper side, but may easily be distinguished by the uniform pale purplish-gray of the lower side of the wings. Expanse, 2.00 inches.

The early stages are unknown. The insect has thus far been found only in Colorado, but no doubt occurs in other States of the Rocky Mountain region.

(5) =Grapta faunus=, Edwards, Plate XIX, Fig. 12, ♂; Fig. 13, ♂, _under side_; Plate III, Fig. 32, _larva_; Plate IV, Figs. 31, 33-35, _chrysalis_ (The Faun).

_Butterfly._--This species is readily recognized by the deep indentations of the hind wings, the heavy black border, and the dark tints of the under side mottled with paler shades. Expanse, 2.00-2.15 inches.

The caterpillar feeds on willows. It is found from New England to the Carolinas, and thence westward to the Pacific.

(6) =Grapta zephyrus=, Edwards, Plate XX, Fig. 5, ♂; Fig. 6, ♂, _under side_ (The Zephyr).

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The Butterfly BookChapter IV: Books About North American Butterflies (4)

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