ABUNDANCE OF LEPIDOPTERA AT GKESY-SUR-AIX. 89 



rain of three days out of six not only prevented one getting out but 

 thoroughly destroyed most of the specimens already on the Aving. This 

 was the more regrettable as it was quite clear that it had been and 

 still was a specially good butterfly year in the district, and on the two 

 days I got any collecting I made quite large bags of fairly decent 

 insects. In fact in the late forenoon and the afternoon of August 19th 

 I saw in one little place such a multitude of insects that one rarely 

 has the opportunity of witnessing even in very favoured regions. I do 

 not know that there was anything specially rare, but many insects 

 that I look upon as local here, and with which I am always glad to 

 meet, were in unusual numbers. At the foot of the hills near the Gresy 

 waterfall in damp meadows I found the delicate dragonflies, Si/iiipycna 

 fusca and Lestcs hurbara on August 20th. 



I saw no Apatnra ilia this year. I suspect I was altogether too 

 late, but, at the level crossing where the steam trams cross the railway, 

 I noticed quite intermediate forms of Paranje ef/eria among the beds of 

 nettles, &c., by the railway side. There appeared to be no pupa- of 

 EuvancHm antioiia, full or empty, this year, but unless one hits the 

 place where the colonies pupate, it is quite possible to miss the species 

 altogether, still pupa3 are generally common, both in the avenue leading 

 to Grcsy, and that leading to Lac Bourget. Once at the foot of the 

 hills, however, multitudes of insects were at once apparent. Ih-entim dia 

 and Mclitaea (?) «f/(rtZ/(Y, evidently both second broods, abounded on every 

 piece of waste ground and in every field, whilst more sparingly with 

 them were Mditaea pJiochr, M. (Jidijiiia and M. cinxia. Vleheina aegon 

 was not uncommon in the fields ; I suspect a partial second brood of 

 this species occurs here, and I also believe at Fontainebleau where I 

 obtained it abundantly in late June, 1897, and again in late August, 

 1899, in perfect condition. Poh/oiinnatits icanix, P. axtrairhe, P. 

 cori/don, P. Injlas, P. bdUmiiis, were all observed in the very first field 

 entered, and iSi/richthits mo, S. alirus, PainjiJiila cuiiniia,P. si/l ran us and 

 Xisoniadcs ta;/es, the two last-named in small numbers but good con- 

 dition, probably also indicating a partial second brood. I did not 

 see SiiilotIn/ri(s malva riaii , which, however, occurs here sparingly, although 

 S. altliacac put in an appearance. The Thijnidiciis tliainuas and T. 

 li)i('(>la were too worn to take, but a pretty little blue, very like ('!/a)tiri-< 

 arijiohis on the wing but dodging about the lucerne blossom proved to 

 be Kvvrt'x anjiades, Avhich was just emerging and in the most beautiful 

 condition. Lciicdjihasia sina/iis Hew lazily along the roadside and at 

 the edges of the fields, and all three common whites — Pii'ris brassirac, 

 P. raiutc, P. jtapi — were abundant, the first perhaps the rarest, and 

 we noticed Parart/r iiiarra at the corners of the path, a single /'. iiiciiai'ra, 

 and large numhera of Kiiiiicji/ich'tit/Kinus, but although K. jaiiira was in 

 large numbers, K. hjcaon, usually very abundant, was almost entirely 

 absent; a single Picris dajdidicc, and several Cdliaa In/alc, ('alias oliisa, 

 and var. hclicr, flying at rare speed in the sun, however, were noticed, 

 and other species such as Coowni/nijdia jiainpJiilus, (Toncjitcri/.r r/umnii 

 etc. All these species were seen within a quarter of an hour of arrival 

 on the ground, and, as one began to mount the path, the numbers of 

 several increased whilst those of others decreased and fresh species 

 soon showed themselves. Calliniorji/ia /irra, nexev a connnon insect 

 here, was seated on almost every ckuup of Pii/iatdiiiiui, around which 

 Limenitis camilla flew in its well-known graceful and inimitable style, 



