GAVARNIE IN 1914. 



237 



Gavarnie in 1914. {With plate.) 

 By T. A. CHAPMAN, M.D., F.E.S. 



I am tempted to assert that I visited Gavarnie in 1914 on purpose 

 to study Latiorina pijrenaica, but I am restrained by more than a 

 suspicion that the real attraction was a love of the mountains, that 

 may be gratified at least as well at Gavarnie as elsewhere, giving L. 

 iryrenaica a place, but only a second place in the determination. At 

 any rate Mr. Champion and I arrived at Eaux Chaudea at noon on the 

 7th of July, and the next day changed our quarters to the Hotel des 

 Pyrenees at Gabas (3,690 ft.) on the road leading by the Col du Pour- 

 talet to Panticosa. 



Here I found a very large brood of Encanessa antiopa, about half- 

 grown, feeding on birch. Of these I sent a small portion, some half- 

 a-dozen dozens, to Mr. Tonge, on the 8th, with a fear that at their 

 size they were too many to make so long a journey safely. It proved, 

 however, that they arrived in good condition, fed up bravely, and pro- 

 duced only about a score of imagines, since to Mr. Tonge's disappoint- 

 ment more than two-thirds of them produced parasites. 



On the 13th a somewhat worn E. antiopa was seen on the wing. 



A little way up the valley towards and at Bious-Artigues, Pieris 

 vmnni was not at all scarce. This species does not occur at Gavarnie. 



At the Col du Pourtalet (5,890 ft.), and at various points by the 

 roadside, even some five kilometers nearer Gabas, Erebia lefebcrei was 

 not at all uncommon, the majority of specimens being without any 

 rust colour, the general appearance being almost identical with that 

 of E. Dielas. Along with it there was usually a rather larger number 

 of E. stijr/ne, very difficult always to be sure of before capture, and one 

 or two were taken that so far resembled E. lefebvrei as really to be 

 puzzling. One specimen was entirely without rust colour on the 

 hind wings. Other species seen at Gabas included Paranje megaera, 

 P. maera, Flrebia evias, p], epipliron, 7'J. tijudanis, and Pieris rapae. 

 Pontia (laplidice was specially common, and a specimen of Anthocliaris 

 helia (or ainiplonia) was seen. 



On the 13th we left Gabas for Gavarnie (4,430 ft.), arriving there 

 the same evening, calling on M. Rondou at Gedre on the way. On 

 the 14th a search for Latiorina pyrenaica resulted in two males being 

 seen, and it Avas concluded the species was hardly out. The day was 

 very hot, and in the evening we were visited by a thunderstorm, with 

 deluges of rain. 



The next day (15th) we visited the slopes of the Pimene, in com- 

 pany with M. Rondou. During nearly the whole excursion we were 

 in dense fog, so that even Mr. Rondou was not always very certain of 

 where we were, and butterflies on the way were hopelessly absent. I 

 had already concluded that the foodplant of L. pyrenaica was, with 

 great probability, Androsace villoma, and I looked amongst a good deal 

 of this plant, but without seeing any trace of a pupa or of a belated 

 larva. 



On this and other occasions M. Rondou told me many things about 

 local insects that one regrets he has not published, such as his h aving 

 bred Polyornmatns eras from Oxytropis pyrenaica^,,.^^tf&^^^l3^mjm 

 orbitulus from Androsace (Greyoria) vitaliana. \Ye saw largo shee1S(!flwS 



November 15th, 1914. Jc^' ' * 



^ MAY 8 1915 



