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HARD WICKK S S CIENCE- G O SSIF, 



ramostini), this being the only spot near Heidelberg 

 in which I have ever seen that species. 



We also saw a very fine campanula — I am not cer- 

 tain of its specific name, but I think it is C. piiUa — it 

 is about two feet high, the flower solitary, and as 

 large as a small egg-cup, the foliage almost linear and 

 the colour bright blue. The headquarters of this 

 species are, apparently, the higher part of the Black 

 Forest, for I have seen it in great quantities near 

 Donaueschingen, where, however, the flower varied 

 in colour between quite white and dark blue. 



A. adiantum-nigru7ii and A. tricJiomanes were 

 plentiful in one part of our route. Four or five years 

 ago, I found fronds of the latter nearly sixteen inches 

 long at the same spot, but the plants that had pro- 

 duced them, were gone last summer. 



As we were walking along through the wood, a 

 butterfly, which at the time I took for A. iris, suddenly 

 flew up, from some horse droppings that lay in the 

 road. I was quite close to it, but was so surprised 

 that I failed to net 'it. We stopped a few minutes 

 hoping it might return, but we saw no more of it, 

 though a school-boy the very next day took five per- 

 fect specimens of A. ilia off" the same droppings : he 

 got them in about an hour. 



After a time, the path left the wood, and ran along 

 the top of a meadow, that had just been cleared of 

 kay. We could see a lightish coloured butterfly 

 flapping along, rather feebly, about a hundred yards 

 away. This, my companion, who was young and 

 active, soon netted, and it turned out to be a freshly 

 hatched specimen of Galatea, the first of the season. 

 We could not see any more, and I think the rest of 

 the brood must have been carried away in the chrysalis 

 state, with the hay, for I never saw any more galateas 

 near that spot, though 'they were common, almost 

 everywhere, a little later on. 



To reach our destination, we now had to turn due 

 north, up a valley that lies at right angles with the 

 Neckar, the path— a grassy lane — runs alongside the 

 forest, which is on the left, and on the right there is 

 a hedge, beyond which is a narrow valley of meadow 

 land with a stream at the bottom. 



There was plenty of honeysuckle in the wood and 

 hedge, and some weeks before I had fixed on that 

 spot as a safe find for Sibylla, when the proper time 

 came, and sure enough, in our progress through the 

 lane, we saw at least a dozen of these elegant butter- 

 flies, some floating in and out of the woods, others 

 flying high and settling out of reach, and others resting 

 on the bramble blossoms (for which this species has a 

 great predilection) and off which we managed to cap- 

 ture about half a dozen mostly in good condition, 

 though to obtain really fine specimens the insect 

 should be bred up from the caterpillar. 



Just before the path ends, the hedge on the right 

 terminates, and the meadow lies open to the lane. 

 We walked just into the meadow, and after looking 

 across it for a few minutes, without at first seeing 



anything worth going after, we both caught sight of a 

 dull blue butterfly about fifty yards away. The grass 

 being still uncut, I hesitated, but M. dashed after the 

 insect, regardless of the grass, and of the mowers who 

 were in sight, and succeeded in netting a fine fresh 

 specimen of Arion, the first I had ever seen alive. 



I may add that we did not find any more that day, 

 though I had the pleasure of taking three at the 

 Kohlhof two days afterwards, but I had too the morti- 

 fication of then missing the only Lathonia I ever saw 

 on the wing. It was too quick for me, though not for 

 M., who chased, and was fortunate enough to catch it. 



On reaching the meadow we were bound for, M. at 

 once jumped down a rather steep bank into it. He 

 alighted close to a small oak bush, from which, what 

 I took for another A. iris flew up ; after alighting 

 on the oaks near by two or three times, and flying 

 round again and again, it at length returned to the 

 very spot whence it had started, and had scarcely 

 settled before M. secured it. I then saw that it was 

 not Iris but Ilia. 



We now turned our attention to the meadow. 

 Aglaia was in profusion, and we could have caught 

 them by the hundred, had we been inclined. 



I secured one Adippe, at least I took it at the time 

 for that species, though I am now doubtful whether 

 it was not Niobe, which is, I believe, more common 

 in Germany than Adippe, and M. got two Paphias. 

 Athalii was in abundance, but we had taken all we 

 wanted several days before. There were still a few 

 silenes and euphrosynes to be seen, but it was almost 

 sad to look at these shabby and shattered insects, and 

 remember that these were the same bright little beings 

 which we had seen dancing so gaily in the sun two or 

 three short weeks ago. 



We were fortunate in obtaining three more males 

 and one female of Virgaurea, the latter a splendid 

 specimen, together with a few of T. pricni, all in fine 

 condition ; I also got a pair of H. fticiformis. 



I was surprised, as well as pleased, to find two 

 patches of the beautiful Arnica montana in the 

 meadow, and quantities of Orchises in three species, 

 O. maculaia and O. conopsea, and H. bifolia, the first 

 was very abundant and varied in colour, from almost 

 white to purple. 



I have never seen the Arnica in any other German 

 locality, though I suppose it would be found, in the 

 higher parts of the Black Forest. 



On our way home, M. discovered a half-grown 

 caterpillar of the puss moth, feeding on aspen, and I 

 had the great pleasure of securing a large brood of 

 caterpillars of V. antiopa, consisting of more than a 

 hundred individuals. I reared them all, except one 

 or two that met with accidents, and they all hatched 

 out safely, after remaining in the pupa state thirteen 

 or fourteen days. I had previously made many fruit- 

 less searches for the larvoe of this fine species and had 

 almost come to despair of meeting with it, though I 

 knew that the perfect insect occurred in plenty at 



