LEPIDOPTERA OF THE TIROL. 179 



wet to get far from the main road. Hence, as may be expected, 

 the entomology that wq did at Meran was practically nil, and all the 

 captures were made in the course of two or three breaks of sunshine, 

 each of which could not have lasted much more than ten minutes 

 apiece. One supposes it will be considered a sign of great weakness 

 entomologically to confess that the two species that interested us 

 most were Epincphele titlioniis and K. ianira. The former was a much 

 larger and more deeply orange race than our British examples, the $ s 

 especially fine and rich in colour ( = var. lueranensis), whilst the apical 

 spotting, usually one large ocellus with two white spots, and varying 

 much in size, was sometimes disintegrated, so that the lower half, 

 small and almost separated, had no white pupil, leaving only one for 

 the upper spot ( = ab. iinipnncta). The E. ianira g s were dark, with 

 little or no fulvous around the ocellus ; the J s were large, the fulvous 

 area large and very pale, almost yellowish, the ground colour pale 

 fuscous, the underside also pale, of two forms, one with the basal 

 area of hindwings and apex of forewings of a chamois-leather tint, 

 scaled strongly wnth yellow towards the bases of the hindwings, the 

 other with these areas strongly tinged with grey ( = var. nieraiiejisis, 

 ab. jiavcsccns, and ab. f/risencens). Of course, these are nothing like 

 the giants in size captured in Malta and other Mediterranean districts, 

 but still they are very striking when compared with our western 

 examples. In one meadow we came across a brood of Brenthis dia, 

 evidently out that very morning ; whilst not far from the city among 

 some thick herbage on the outskirts of some wooded ground, we 

 disturbed some 3 Rnodia dnjas : in the same place worn E. /n/pcr- 

 anthnu showed that this species was over. Over the bushes here, 

 Celastrina arijioli(s and I'oliji/onia c-albniii. were both noticed ovipositing, 

 the latter very worn, and evidently not yet reached the hybernating- 

 brood. Like the Epinepheles, the few Coenoni/inpha painijliilns were 

 very bright and yellow in colour. Polijoiiniiatns icarus was of the form 

 icarinus. A J and 5 Liumicia pJdaeas showed none of the marked 

 darkness of colour that one might have expected here, whilst several ? sof 

 Loiceia dorilii^ although not very dark were not so brightly red as again 

 one might have supposed. A single (? Everes alcetas gave hopes of more, 

 but these were doomed to disappointment, whilst a solitary g Irhicola 

 comma, a species only just emerging, closes the list of butterflies 

 observed except Leptosia sinapis, which fluttered about in sunlight 

 and shade without much break. A fine chocolate-coloured J 

 Lasiocampa rjaercih, similar to that taken in the Sarnthal, was made 

 prisoner. A piece of marshy ground covered more or less with bushes 

 proved interesting; swarms of Pi/raiisto cespitalis, ('rainhns si/lcelliis, 

 and C. pratclliis came up at every footstep, whilst Hi/ria auroraria, 

 Minoa eitpliorhiata, Timandra aiiiataria, Cabcra pnsaria, and MelanijiDe 

 sociata made up a family of Geometrids almost like those of an 

 English back garden. An immense bed of large white convolvulus 

 which had spread for twenty yards or so in all directions, produced 

 thousands oi Alucita pentadacti/la, and a single fine cinnamon-coloured 

 Emmelina mrmndactyla : we have rarely seen a more beautiful sight. 

 Most unexpected, however, was the occurrence of a specimen of 

 Nola ceiiUmalis, but a good half-hour's work produced only two more. 

 A poor list, perhaps, but not an uninteresting one for a dull, sunless 

 and damp day. 



