90 



6th of May, and that consisted of a light shower at night— J of an 

 inch of rain. In consequence the herbage on the phiins is as dry 

 and burnt up as possible, a scorching sun every day and all day, for 

 months, and the thermometer touching 90° nearly every day. It is 

 a bearable heat very much more pleasant than the West Indies. I 

 have been wondering how successful you were with the cocoons last 

 spring. I hope you were able to raise some of them, it would have 

 been interesting. I understand that this last summer has been a 

 very wet one with you, my brother assures me so. I suppose there 

 would not be much doing in the insect way that being so. 



" I have joined a Society here. The Lorquim Club of Nat. Hist. 

 Dr. Comstock is the leading spirit, he is F.E.S., and a very fine 

 fellow. I have handed over my English collection to them, as they 

 had not any European species, their collection being nearly all 

 Asiatic or South American. I have only retained a few duplicates 

 for old times sake. I have travelled many thousands of miles in 

 friends' cars in pursuit of " bugs," and have slept many nights under 

 the stars in the great Mohave Desert, as well as on the mountains, until 

 m}^ doctor put his foot down. 1 am sending you some of what is known 

 as the smallest butterflies in the world, Brcphidinin [Li/aeua) e.cilis. 

 They are much used for jewellery, being small ; they are put into 

 rings and tie pins. 1 am also sending the only specimen I have left 

 of Lyccina avalou. They are entirely confined to the Island of 

 Catalina, off the coast of Southern California. The only place in 

 the world where they are found I believe. My friend went there in 

 July and got about 200 of them, and he gave me a few to give 

 away. I caught a lot of tkalrednn. It was a little late for them, 

 and I kept on catching them in the hope of getting some good ones. 

 But you can perhaps pick out a few of those I send. V. carycc is 

 a smaller species than canini, but very much like it. It is entirely 

 a western species, and not uncommon. We had a migration of 

 cardni last April that lasted nearly a month. I counted m five 

 minutes 848 specimens that passed within 50 feet of each side of 

 me. A very curious sight, and all going the same way home, N. 

 West. 



" There are over 400 species (on the books) that are supposed to 

 be found here. But one would have to have an aeroplane to get 

 them. One of our members, Mr. Malcolm, recently discovered a 

 new Ar;fynnis, which has been named after him. He got over 200 

 Bpecimens, so it is a well recognised species. He found them in a 

 kind of pocket on the eastern slopes of the Sierra Mudros range, 

 2,500 feet up, 850 miles from here. — G. B. Pearson." 



