GAVARNIE IN 1914. 239 



from Gavarnie to the Val d'Ossoue swarmed with teneral imagines of 

 Sj/ni/ietnon jiaveolum, many specimens being seen drying their wings 

 with their empty nymph cases below ; hundreds might easily have 

 been taken. Other dragonHies were very few. On a later day of our 

 stay the immature insects were less abundant, and mature ones were 

 scarce at the ponds, but were in evidence for some miles in several 

 directions, but now almost impossible to capture. 



Almost anywhere above 6000 ft. Krehia lappnna was common, or 

 even abundant, almost all of the var. stliennyo, but occasional 

 specimens were not far froin the tj^pe form. 



Gavarnie, without a reference to Erehia lefebvrci, would be almost 

 like Hamlet with the oft-suggested omission. We did not, however, 

 visit any of the localities where I knew it to be most abundant, on 

 the other hand, possibly because it was a good year for the species, we 

 never made any excursion above about 5000 ft. without seeing a 

 specimen or two, and no doubt, at the lower elevations, passed them 

 by as being probably E. stijipie, which was well in evidence practically 

 everywhere. This very general distribution of E. lefebrrei did not 

 agree with the impression 1 obtained at iny last visit, which was that 

 it occurred freely at a few places, more sparsely at a few others, but 

 apart from such localities did not occur. 



I must also refer to Hesperia aiulrnnicilae, of which M. Obertbiir 

 took a specimen close to Gavarnie, I found a worn one at a higher 

 elevation, and have a large fresh specimen taken above Gabas. 



One of our greatest pleasures at Gavarnie, that took us somewhat 

 by surprise, was to find M. C. Oberthiir at the Hotel Vignemale, where 

 we had many pleasant meetings and discussed various entomological 

 and other subjects. His keenness as a collector seemed to be as acute 

 as ever, he made good bags along the road to the Cirque, but the chase 

 in the evening when moths flew to the brilliantly illuminated windows 

 of the Hotel, and on one or two nights in shoals, was something to 

 remember. M. Oberthiir sat in the hall placing in chloroform bottles 

 moths that arrived almost more quickly than he could deal with them, 

 brought in nets, usually containing several specimens, by his grandson 

 and by various volunteers, of whom, more than once, I was one, the 

 moths being captured as they flew against the windows outside. 

 Amongst them were many good things, including a large Xoctiia 

 suspected to be a new spedies. One specimen I remember, a Xototlontci, 

 very close to N. ziczac, but with a large amount of white, giving it a 

 remarkable appearance. 



Just before M. Oberthiir left, Mr. Harold Powell was added to his 

 party for two days, and though the mountaineering of M. Oberthiir's 

 grandson was the piece de resiatance, coUectmg was vigorously pursued. 



I have said little of Latiorina pyrenaica, as I have hopes of working 

 out something of its life-history. I have larvre going into hibernation, 

 little black fellows, looking very different not only from L. Drhitulna at 

 that stage, but from every other Lyc;enid that I happen to know. 



On the first of August we were contemplating going elsewhere for 

 a few days before returning home, but on this date news got through 

 to Gavarnie that made us decide to return home at once, starting the 

 following morning. Our adventures in getting back were so similar 

 to those of so many other people that they need not be farther referred 

 to except to remark that we had to stay on the way for four days at 



