The Butterfly Book Part 16

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 b.u.t.terfly 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 b.u.t.terfly 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 Sat.u.r.day, and vacation hour), and there was my b.u.t.terfly.

Sweating, blushing, inwardly anathematizing my luck, I rushed past the school, only to be overwhelmed with mortification by the rascally porter of the inst.i.tution, 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 b.u.t.terflies 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 quant.i.ty of these superb insects. My quest was entirely successful, though my specimens were not taken at Salem, but under the shadow of Mount Mitch.e.l.l, in the flower-spangled valleys which lie at its feet.

Genus BRENTHIS, Hubner

"The garden is fragrant everywhere; In its lily-bugles the gold bee sups, And b.u.t.terflies flutter on winglets fair Round the tremulous meadow b.u.t.tercups."

MUNKITTRICK.

_b.u.t.terfly._-Small or medium-sized b.u.t.terflies, very closely approximating in form and color the species of the genus _Argynnis_, in which they are included by many writers. The princ.i.p.al 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 mult.i.tude 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 larvae 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.

[Ill.u.s.tration FIG. 90.--Neuration of the genus _Brenthis_, enlarged.]

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

_b.u.t.terfly._--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 b.u.t.terflies 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 l.u.s.tre 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=, Hubner, Plate XV, Fig. 3, ? (Hubner's Fritillary).

_b.u.t.terfly_, ?.--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 s.e.x, 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.

+--------------------------------------------------------------+ | | | EXPLANATION OF PLATE XV | | | | | | 1. _Brenthis myrina_, Cramer, ?. | | 2. _Brenthis myrina_, Cramer, ?, | | _under side_. | | 3. _Brenthis triclaris_, Hubner, ?. | | 4. _Brenthis chariclea_, Schneider, ?. | | 5. _Brenthis boisduvali_, Duponchel, ?. | | 6. _Brenthis boisduvali_, Duponchel, | | ?, _under side_. | | 7. _Brenthis montinus_, Scudder, ?. | | 8. _Brenthis montinus_, Scudder, ?, | | _under side_. | | 9. _Brenthis freija_, Thunberg, ?. | | 10. _Brenthis freija_, Thunberg, ?, | | _under side_. | | 11. _Brenthis polaris_, Boisduval, ?. | | 12. _Brenthis polaris_, Boisduval, ?, | | _under side_. | | 13. _Brenthis frigga_, Thunberg, ?. | | 14. _Brenthis frigga_, Thunberg, ?, | | _under side_. | | 15. _Brenthis alberta,_, Edwards, ?. | | 16. _Brenthis bellona_, Fabricius, ?. | | 17. _Brenthis epith.o.r.e_, Boisduval, ?. | | 18. _Brenthis epith.o.r.e_, Boisduval, ?, | | _under side_. | | | | [Ill.u.s.tration PLATE XV.] | +--------------------------------------------------------------+

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

_b.u.t.terfly_, ?.--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).

_b.u.t.terfly_, ?.--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 b.u.t.terfly 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).

_b.u.t.terfly_, ?.--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 circ.u.mpolar, 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).

_b.u.t.terfly._--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).

_b.u.t.terfly._--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 b.u.t.terfly is circ.u.mpolar, 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).

_b.u.t.terfly._--The upper side dull fulvous; the markings on the inner half of the wings are confluent, and lost in the brownish vest.i.ture 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.