IN THE CANTABRIANS, AUGUST, 1914. VI5 



Melana>;/ia lachesis, and a single Laiiipules hoeticus. Up to now no sign 

 of (.'oeiiunijiiipha darns var. iiiat/wiri. 



August 2nd. — On the hills among the heather we at last found 

 C. iloiKs var. niat/icivi, but very scarce ; the total number taken by the 

 three of us, after much tramping up and down to get them to rise, was 

 18 specimens, of which only the 2 s were fresh ; one $ was taken in 

 the afternoon, resting on heather, among a crowd of I'lebcius an/iif; : 

 but all the other specimens had settled out of sight, and when dis- 

 turbed flew a short distance and then settled again. P. argim was 

 everywhere, flitting among the bushy heather all the morning, and 

 resting in the afternoon about six inches down the stems. Although 

 many settle on one plant, very rarely is there more than one on a stem, 

 and they appear to arrange themselves so as to simulate a cluster of 

 flowers. 



Besides these few species, there seemed to be nothing at all, and if 

 one may confess it, we found the Montanes de Leon somewhat mono- 

 tonous, with their eternal repetition of gently-rounded heather-clad 

 summits, in whatever direction one tramped. 



After some poring over the wonderful geological maps (the only 

 ones procurable and not in the least to be relied upon), we fixed on 

 Ponferrada as a new centre from which we could, by means of a tent 

 brought with us from England, explore both the Cantabrians to the 

 north, and El Teleno in the Montanes de Leon to the south. It also, 

 so far as could be ascertained from the map, promised a different rock 

 to the carboniferous, Vv-hich had not, so far, brought us much luck. 



At Ponferrada we found the only fonda quite comfortable, although 

 of course the cooking is Spanish; the extensive view from the balconies 

 over the city and the campo towards El Teleno is, to my mind, 

 quite unique, and the collecting is in every way more interesting than 

 at Brafmelas. In May and early .June I should say it would be an 

 ideal spot for a stay, and it would be interesting to know what species 

 ■are to be found there at that time. In August we found most of the 

 flowers dried up, and the hills looking quite bare. Crossing the Roman 

 bridge, and getting up into the hills on the 4th, we worked up a dry 

 torrent bed, shaded by chestnut trees. There were EpinepliUe ida (^s 

 all passes) flying with Ariria medon (astraiche) ; rather large Biniiieia 

 phlaeas ab. nif/ioiiiocidata were settling on a large flowered lavender, 

 together with a few Poli/onnnatKs icams : P.pineiihde jurtina with many 

 var. hispiilla and /'.'. bjraim were in crowds under the chestnut trees, 

 resting in very much thfe same way as Satyrids do ; K. jintina v&v. 

 hinpidlu was also in numbers on the dry sandy torrent bed evidently 

 enjoying the heat. Among other captures were two Papilio podalirius 

 var. feistluuiieUi, one freshly emerged Sati/rns statilinus, a single S. 

 alcyone, Melitaaa plmebf, and one very worn XL didi/nia with a few 

 Pohtia dapUdicc, Pj/raiiieis raidiii and (JoliaH ediina. 



. While working in this secluded valley, so far away from home, it 

 suddenly struck us for the first time that perhaps the war might 

 seriously affect the chances of our return ; on further consideration, it 

 seemed possible that it was our duty to return at once, although the 

 French lines were all closed for mobilisation and the frontier impossible 

 to pass. We therefore wired to Madrid for instructions, and having 

 done all that was possible, made the most of our time, and next day 

 lunched in the same valley, whore, however, we found nothing fresh, 



