A FOUETH SEASON AMONG SWISS BUTTEEFLIES. 117 



trace of the epaulette markings that are tolerably frequent in L. var. 

 calbinae and not infrequent in English L. qiwrciis, nor have I ever seen 

 a forewing band of the Cannes races so waved as they usually are in 

 the English specimens, or with a hindwirig band extended to the 

 margin of the wing as in L. var. i^irida. Males of L. var. callunae are 

 often, if not usually, of a deeper ground colour than English L. 

 quciriis or /.. var. weridionalis. The forewing band is waved and the 

 hindwing band is sharp, not fading into the ground colour towards the 

 margin as is frequently, but not invariably, the case with /.. var. vibiinii, 

 and L. var. meridionalis. English L. qnercua are the most variable in 

 the imaginal as in the larval state. It seems useless to lay down 

 even the loosest rule. My own short series of nine males shows a 

 wide variation. One taken during July at Lyme Regis would easily 

 pass unnoticed in a series of L. var. callunae. Several have the 

 epaulette marking, while others have no trace, most of the specimens 

 have the forewing band waved, but two have it much straighter than 

 the others and with one of these it is quite as straight as in the Cannes 

 varieties. Two, in the width of the hindwing band and its tendency to 

 suffuse the ground colour as far as the margins, approach L. var. sictda 

 as does another specimen in regard to the ground colour, which is of a 

 russet-brown. I am rather inclined to consider that our English race 

 is the nearest to the ancestral stock, and that the variation is largely 

 due to climatic causes, although it is possible that some of the 

 variation towards the southern races may be caused by inroads of fresh 

 blood on our southern and eastern coasts. 



A fourth season among Swiss butterflies. 



By G. WHEELEE, M.A. 

 The season of 1900 opened hopefully with bright sunny weather at 

 the end of February, and on the 24th of that month and the following 

 days (joni'iiteryx rhaiiDiiwas out in numbers and in excellent condition. 

 (By the way, is it certain that these early specimens are hibernated ? '■' 

 My own observations and experience are against this theory). This 

 early promise, however, was doomed to speedy disappointment, for 

 cold, wet weather set in, and an extremely late season was the result. 

 Unfortunately I was prevented by illness from doing much in the way 

 of buttertly-hunting before May; but from all accounts I lost but little 

 thereby, except a projected spring expedition to Lugano, which I hope 

 is only postponed till next (or another) year. The early part of May 

 produced at Veytaux nothing but the usual spring insects, Xmniadcs 

 ndlarKs being the best find, and, alas! my favourite hunting-ground in 

 the Veraye gorge (a list of whose species I gave last year) spent the 

 spring and summer in being turned into a cemetery. I do not think 

 that such part of it as is left will be less productive another year, but 

 almost half of it is now unavailable. On May 16th we went for a 

 fortnight to Aigle, but met with bitterly cold weather, and nothing of 



* In Britain, there can be no doubt, we think ; the evidence of winter 

 specimens is definite and indubitable, and as lihavDius would only allow autumnal- 

 feeding larvffi to get so early an emergence, and as a consequence winter pupsE, and 

 both are unknown, an impossible thing in Britain with such a common species were 

 tliey actually in existence, we suspect that the generally accepted view is abso- 

 lutely correct. Surely parallel conditions hold in Switzerland. — Ed. 



