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Show 1886.] MR. H. J. ELWES ON THE GENUS PARNASSIUS. 41 took a single pair at Narka, in the province of Rupshu, which were described and figured by Felder. Two females in the Hewitson collection are marked Darjeeling, but there is no evidence that they came from Sikkim ; and though both have larger red ocelli on the hind wing than the Ladak specimens I have seen, yet they are probably from Atkinson's collection, which was made at many places in the Himalaya as well as at Darjeeling. M. L. de Niceville, who is the only living entomologist who has seen this species alive, took three specimens (of which a pair are now before me) on July 18, 1879, on the Baralacha pass, north of Lahoul, at 18,000 feet. Both of these have small ocelli on the margin of the hind wing, three of which in the §, and one in the c? have bluish pupils. The male has no red markings at all, whilst the $ has two ocelli in the usual place on the hind wing; none that I have seen have the red ocellus on the costal margin of hind wing, which is found in all specimens of P. delphius and P. staudingeri. The fringes and antennae, however, agree perfectly with those of P. delphius, excepting that the antennae of the 2 P- stoliczkanus are all black ; and though I hardly consider that the few specimens of this species existing show any structural characters of sufficient importance to separate them certainly from P. delphius, yet the absence of the costal ocellus on the hind wing would if constant be a good secondary character of distinction ; and there appears to be some difference in the internal structure of the pouch, though its external appearance is nearly the same as that of P. delphius. In a very interesting account of his journey through the Alai Mountains in the southern part of Khokand, M . Grumm Grshimailo describes a new species of Parnassius shortly, under the name of P. romanovi, which, though I have not yet been able to see a specimen, is possibly a form of this, but more probably allied to P. charltonius. He says :-"The fore wings like delphius, the hind wings show a great red patch of 1 centimetre in diameter, a second of much smaller dimensions, and a band which is formed of three red marks ; behind this red band, nearer the outer margin, are five beautiful blue ocelli surrounded by black shining scales." This splendid insect was found near Katta-Karamuk, and also at Karasu, on the north side of the Tersagar pass, 10,000 feet, in company with P. actius, P. staudingeri, var. nova, Parnassius sp., and many splendid species of Colias and other insects. Another new form, named, but not described, by the same explorer, is Parnassius ccesar, which was found at Kizil Art, on the Alai Pamir plateau, at a great elevation, and said to be a splendid, quite unique species of great variability, and will no doubt be soon pub lished in the Grand Duke Nicholas's ' Memoires sur les Le'pidopteres,' which have already added so much to our knowledge of Russian Lepidoptera. It will be impossible to say where these species belong in the genus, until they are fully described and figured \ 1 After this paper was read I received, through the kindness of the Grand Duke Nicholas Mikhailovitch of Eussia, two pairs of P. romanovi, which is |
