MANITOBA BUTTERFLIES

Extract

As the result of last year's work I have an addition to make to the list of Manitoba Diurni, which appeared in this magazine about two years ago. On July 3rd, when driving across an outlying portion of my farm, in a flowery glade amongst some scrub I saw an anusual looking “fritillary” hovering over and settling together with Argynnis Lais upon some lillies in bloom. On netting it I found it to be a “green wing,” which has been determined by my friend, Dr. Fletcher, to be A. Edwardsii, In a short time I secured three or four more examples of this Western species from the same place. On the 7th July I found it again in a similar locality, about a mile south of where I had originally seen it, and secured some more specimens, all of which, except perhaps a couple whose wings were slightly chipped, were in good condition. I went out again on the 10th, but though Lais and Cybele were on the wing, I did not see Edwardsii. A correspondent at Brandon (in this Province), Mr. Boger, writes me that he also took one or two “green wings” this summer; Brandon being 60 or 70 miles to the N. W. of me. He was, when writing, under the impression that his was A. Nevadensis. It would be a very curious fact if both species (?) visited Manitoba at the same time, and it would look very much as though they were only varieties of one species. I have just noticed among my series one specimen that varies slightly from the majority, and is somewhat like the description given of A. Nevadensis…Colias Caesonia, did not again present itseif, though I saw in 1896 at least half a dozen specimens besides the two I caught.