THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST 



caught a few good things, then at noon he also made tracks for 

 Nordegg. Before leaving he explained the method that he had 

 found most efficacious for taking that most difficult of butter- 

 flies — Brenthis astarte, viz., to wait patiently until the insect settled 

 on one of several pink-flowered plants of Dianthiis acaidis and 

 then spring! In due course a bright male appeared, and for half an 

 hour I tried Mr. Bowman's method — and every other — in vain. 

 Astarte is a peculiar insect — deceptive as to colour, pugnacious as 

 to disposition, and fleet passing understanding. On the wing it 

 looks red, due to the rapidly beating wings exposing the undersides. 

 Why it should rush at every inoffensive butterfly that comes near 

 it I cannot say, but rush at them it does. Astarte makes its ap- 

 pearance from the shaly slopes and, flying up over the edge of the 

 cliff, rushes round on top for a few minutes attacking every but- 

 terfly in its course. Then it tumbles headlong over the cliff, 

 flies along the loose shale, comes up again — and repeats. I watched 

 my first astarte do all this many times and inspiration came to 

 me. It flew slower when it was over the cliff! Why? Ah, I 

 had the secret, and over the cliff I went myself (almost headlong 

 in my eagerness). There I sat, where the foot of the cliff' rose 

 from the shale, net ready, and my eye glued to the edge of the 

 cliff to my right where he would come over. Here he is! Flew 

 right into my net! I give my discovery for the benefit of future 

 collectors of astarte. Down under the cliff, both "hunter and 

 hunted" are in the shadow. 



At 3 o'clock as nothing much desirable excepting Colias 

 nastes seemed to be on the wing, I was inclined to return to camp, 

 but decided that I would first try the second clump of spruce. 

 Well was I rewarded, for there I took a fine, fresh Erebia d-isa — my 

 first of this species — and a pair of Melitcea anicia and, returning 

 through the other clump, I captured a dragonfly prize incjeed, a 

 beautiful' female of Somatochlora cingidata — the fifth species of 

 the genus to date! I also took a number of two other varieties, 

 franklini and minor, and one female of walshii. 



I. returned to camp at 5.30, and amplified tent accommoda- 

 tion was the only compensation that I had for the loss of my two 

 friends. 



