THREE WEEKS IN THE ABRUZZI. 281 



up, I am inclined to place it with serniar(/us and celastn'na in Cj/aiuris), 

 Nonlmannia ilicis (worn), Pierin brassicae, Leptosia sinapis, Limenitis 

 Camilla, Pohjijonia eijea, Parartje maera, P. ef/eria, Coenonijiiipha arcania, 

 C. patiiphiliis vmd Epinepludc jnrtina. On a second visit to this wood 

 on the following day I saw fewer species, but took in addition, Lycaena 

 avion, Ereres alcetax, Nordwannia araciae, Aryijnnis aylaia and. A. ni<ibe. 

 P. aiiiandas varied both in size and freshness, one specimen was almost 

 as large as those from the Tyrol, but without the conspicuous broad 

 black border displayed by the latter; /.. ari<»i, which was \e\y worn, 

 was rather small and dark, but not approaching the blackness of var. 

 ohsciira : 0. arcania is like the Assisi specimens, considerably smaller 

 and with a narrower white band on the underside than the Swiss 

 lowland and Jura form, but not approaching var. danviniana : P. ei/eria 

 was not markedly of the southern form, certainly not reaching beyond 

 var. interniedia, nor was E. jnrtina at all of the Idspnlla form ; A. 

 einnedon was very small and mostly a good deal the worse for wear ; 

 A. niobe in both places varied a good deal in size, and in the depth of 

 colour on the underside, but in neither did it show any tendency 

 towards var. eris : A. ai/laia was generally rather small, and showed 

 a tendency on the underside to the duller green of the mountain form; 

 L. caw ilia wsbsvathei- large, in striking contrast with the late specimens 

 I had taken during a former visit at Assisi. Both on Friday and 

 Saturday we went over by train to Palena station, not with any view 

 of going to the town which is some seven miles away, and more than 

 1500 ft. lower down, but intending to hunt in the plain, a large, flat, 

 slightly marshy expanse, which was evidently once the bed of a lake, 

 but is now an immense hay-field. Not finding, however, any path 

 leading into it (though there is one just beyond the station), and being 

 much attracted by a steep little gorge, down which a small stream 

 flows, close to the station, my whole time was devoted to this and to 

 the woods on the hill above it on both occasions, and a rich locality it 

 proved to be. The " skippers" included Hespcria alvetis, H. wrratidae, 

 Erj/nni!< alceae, E. althaeae, Amjiadcs sylvanns, Adopaea flava, A. lincola, 

 and Xisoniades tayes ; the " blues " Ereres alcetas, Celastrina an/iolns, 

 Pleheins aei/nn, Polyoinniatns icarns, P. eros, P. vieleayer, P. hylas, P. 

 anuindns, Cyaniris seiniariiiis (mostly worn), Ayriadea coridon, A. thetis, 

 Aricia astrarche, very large and with small orange spots, A. enniedon, and 

 Lycaena avion, there w^ere also magnificent fresh specimens of Heodes 

 viryaureac, g- s only, and besides, Papilio niachaon, the two usual 

 Coliads, and the three common Pierids, a few Melitaea phoebe, small, 

 rather dark and heavily marked — a remarkable contrast with the vivid 

 and lightly marked specimens taken last year at Assisi — and looking 

 very like M. cinxia, a few M. parthenie, which, like those of Roccaraso 

 and of Assisi last year, are small and for the most part heavily marked, 

 Epincpluie jnrtina and Melanaryia yalatea in abundance, and single 

 specimens of Dryaa papln'a, Satyriis cordnla and Hipparchia smnele, 

 all of which were evidently just beginning to emerge, and of Erebia 

 styync, which on the other hand was quite over. There are several 

 other gulleys of the some kind which might prove equally prolific, but 

 this one occupied all my time and energies. On the afternoon of the 

 24th I strolled up to the wood, but found nothing fresh except a few 

 Issoria lathonia and a single ^ Loweia var, yordius very fresh, much 

 sufi'used with purple, and slightly tending towards the ab. midas on the 



