COLLECTING IN CONSTANTINOPLE IN 1914. 89 



■Cupido sebriis, including one minute ? , the lirst Melanartjia (jalatliea and 

 Nordiiiannia ilicis, and many common things, including Adofiaea jiava, 

 which was well out at this early date for it. In this afternoon I 

 visited St. Nicolas' islet and there took a passable Hesperia sidae, the 

 P. napi g.a. napaeae already recorded, Antluicharis belia, fresh Pi/raweis 

 atalanta, not a common insect at Constantinople this year, some very 

 fresh and fine Colias ednsa, which seemed to be the first examples of 

 the 2nd brood and a number of Geometrids, some of which I sent to 

 Mr. L. B. Prout for determination. Next day I went further along 

 the coast, and at a place which I will for the present call X, lest some 

 German or Austrian professional descends upon it, found butterflies 

 really abundant on what I should be inclined to call " steppe " country, 

 dry and decidedly sandy, with scattered trees and as a rule sparse 

 undergrowth. Here I found my prize of the year, Scolitnntides baviioi 

 in fair numbers, though few indeed of the males were at all worth 

 capturing. The females were often in beautiful condition and I 

 greatly admired the contrast between the glossy blackish-brown upper- 

 side, with its relief of orange lunules near the anal angle of the 

 posterior wings and deep blue powdering on the wing-bases, and the 

 deep dove-grey underside with its full orange band. The butterfly 

 tiew rather low, fairly rapidly and seemed to be less given to the habit 

 of darting about in circles than other " blues " which I know, but was 

 perfectly capable of dodging and turning very suddenly and sharply 

 when threatened by the net. It evidently loved dry. sunny, and sandy 

 spots, including those where, to judge from the vegetation, there was 

 much salt in the sand, and seemed partial to thyme flowers. With 

 S. bavins I took occasional specimens of A. thersiti's, mostly going over, 

 P. a)iiandits already on the wane, B . sidae, Erynnis orientalis and on 

 a large mallow plant a female Enjnnis so much darker, with the 

 underside so much more distinctly marked and the upperside so much 

 less greenish in general tone than E. orientalis, that I am strongly of 

 opinion that it is E. althaeae. Frankly I do not know the last named 

 insect save from figures and specimens in the Museum at South 

 Kensington, but to judge from these figures and specimens it might 

 possibly be mistaken by a collector, who did know the difference in 

 the shape of the antennal clubs for E. alceae. But I cannot imagine 

 the possibility of any E. orientalis that I have taken being confused 

 for a moment with E. alceae, while the female specimen I have 

 described did certainly bear some resemblance to it at first sight. 

 With these interesting insects were hosts of fine A. Jiava of both sexes, 

 worn P. icanis, M. didijviu, 21. trivia going over, some huge C'. edusa, 

 larger and finer than any I have yet taken, A. belia and occasional 

 A\ acaciae. I hoped to find Chilades trochiliis on this favoured spot 

 but failed. After five hours' collecting I returned to a repast in which 

 whitebait and fresh red mullet were a leading, and, as the newspapers 

 say, a popular feature. Next day the weather broke: floods, thunder- 

 storms, and wind descended on the Sea of Marmora and I was back in 

 Constantinople. On June 6th I visited the Beikos woods opposite the 

 Belgrade Forest hoping to get M. atlialia var. iiiehudiensis, but not one 

 did I see. The woods were dripping wet and save for a few very fresh 

 and fine Dnjas papliia, Breiitliis dap/Dw, and the ordinary woodland 

 insects, such as A. ilicis and (Joenoiupnplia arca)iia I saw nothing 

 fiying. On July 16th I went on another yachting trip, this time to 



