^977.: 243 



Lepidoptera captured during an Excursion to Switzerland and the Italian 

 Lakes. — The following list of Lepidoptera, observed by myself and a friend 

 (Mr. M. J. Michael, of St. John's College, Cambridge), during a short trip in 

 Switzerland and the Italian Lakes last summer, may be of interest to entomologists 

 who have collected on similar occasions, as showing how much (or, rather, how 

 little) can be done in entomology on a tour where this is not the only object. Wlien 

 in company with non-entomological friends (we were in all a party of four) a great 

 deal of collecting has to be done on the sly, as it were, — I mean by resorting to such 

 expedients as walking up hills when travelling along the roads ; and by these melins 

 a number of additional species were procured, though sometimes perhaps at the 

 expense of the time of the less interested members of the party. Unfortunately, the 

 time for departure from England (about the middle of August) coincided with the 

 setting in all over Western Europe of the spell of bad weather which prevailed for 

 about a month continuously ; and this, combined with the lateness of the season, 

 no doubt much contributed to the lack of species observed, and the entire absence of 

 some usually common, e.g. Laplidice, Palceno, &c. It also entirely frustrated our 

 intention of visiting Zermatt, where we had intended to have spent some days 

 collecting the insects of the high Alps. The total number of species observed in the 

 month was 107, of which 33 are not British species. For naming some of these I am 

 indebted to Dr. Staudinger, whose nomenclature I have throughout followed. 



List of Species observed. 

 Fapilio Podalirius — seen near Colico. Fapilio Machaon — Colico, Bellaggio, 

 Menaggio. Parnassius Apollo — one ? specimen at rest on thistles near Andeer. 

 Pieris brc^siccB, rapcB, napi — everywhere in cultivated grounds. Leucophasia 

 sinapis — common in the gardens of the Villa Serbelloni and elsewhere at Bellaggio ; 

 also at Menaggio and Pallanza. Colias Hyale occurred nearly everywhei'e, and 

 visually commoner than the next. C. Edusa — with the last. The var. Helice occurred 

 at Bellaggio and JMenaggio, but not commonly. Ehodocera r/iamwi— "Villa Serbelloni 

 and Pallanza. Polyommatus virgaurece — one $ specimen near the village of 

 Spliigen. P. Dorilis — Baden ; common at Bellaggio and Pallanza. In this species 

 the (J is quite dark above, the $ having the primaries orange with dark spots, and 

 an orange border to secondaries. P. Phlaas — Baden, Bellaggio, Pallanza. The 

 Italian specimens have the markings less distinct, the copper colour redder, the 

 spots smaller, the costal margin of the primaries darker, and the marginal band 

 broader and narrower than any English examples I have. The under-side too, of 

 the primaries, is redder, leaving the circumscriptions of the eyes and the veins of the 

 wings paler. Lycana Argiades. — This little " tailed " blue occurred, but not com- 

 monly, at Baden and Bellaggio. L. argyrotoxus {^^gon) — Colico and Bellaggio, in 

 the grounds of the VUla Serbelloni. L. Astrarche (Agestis) — Bellaggio.* L. Icarus 

 — Baden, Kandersteg, Colico, Menaggio, Bellaggio. L. bellargus (Adonis) — Kan- 

 derthal, Chur, Bellaggio, Menaggio, Val Vedro. The var. Ccronus — (whi(^]i also 

 occurs in England) — at Bellaggio. L. Corydon — Xanderthal, Chur, Menaggio, Val 

 Vedro. Two (? Swiss specimens have all the black points on the under-side of the 

 wings much smaller and less distinct than in English ones ; in one also the row of 



* The Bellaggio specimens have both the red and black spots on the wings larger, and the 

 ground colour of the uudcv-side greyer than in English specimens. 



