94 The Field Naturalist's Quarterly May 



There are, altogether, forty - eight recognised species of 

 " Blues " in Europe, of which Switzerland possesses thirty- 

 three, and of these most may be confidently expected upon 

 the mountains in August. 



On dull days and towards evening the Lycanids may often 

 be found clinging to grass blades and stems, and in this 

 position (usually head downwards) they are by no means 

 easy to distinguish, the sober markings of the under-side 

 corresponding closely to the surrounding tints in the half- 

 light after sunset or when the sky is overcast. A wet day is 

 a misfortune for all tourists as well as collectors, but a dull 

 day is often the more disappointing, because insects, which 

 depend so largely upon the sun's rays to excite vitality, stick 

 close to the herbage and the rocks, and even in some cases 

 (I have noticed this habit on the walls of the vineyards of 

 North Italy in the case of Polygonia egea, a species closely 

 allied to our Comma) creep into the crevices of the stone, 

 where be sure the little bright-eyed lizards are on the watch 

 for them. For lizards have a great liking for butterflies, 

 and appear to exercise some such fascination upon their 

 victims as a hawk upon the smaller birds of the hedgerow. 

 I have watched one peering out of his lair, and the great 

 butterfly — it was a Silver- washed Fritillary {Argymiis paphia) 

 — gradually circling towards him, until with a dexterous 

 leap he pinned his prey, and four checkered and helpless 

 wings fluttered away on the wind. Protective colouring 

 is very marked in some of the Fritillaries of the mountain- 

 side. When the skies are cloudy you will have some 

 difficulty in separating Argynnis pales from the heart of the 

 arnica daisy to which it clings. The warm golden-red of 

 the closed wings corresponds almost completely with the tint 

 of the flower ; while the sombre under-sides of the VanessidcB 

 are equally inconspicuous on the brown-red burdock heads 

 which the species largely affects. Most butterflies fold their 

 wings straight up at right angles to the back ; our Dingy 

 Skipper {Thanaos tages), common enough in the Alps, is an 

 exception, and imitates the Geometer moths, laying the 

 wings flat, while the Skippers of the Hesperid genus — five of 

 which are common to England as to the mountains — elevate 

 the upper pair, but still droop the lower, when at rest. 



