NOTES FRo:\r no;^RN ix thf, sot'th tibol. 281 



Notes from Bozen in the South Tirol, in 1901 » 1902. 



By F. E. LOWE, M.A., F.E.S. 



In 1901 I spent a few days, June 20'ih-25th, in Bozen, South Tirol, 

 and found it, as I expected, one of the richest hunting-grounds for 

 Diurni that I have yet visited. As you have not so many reports from 

 Tirolese as from Swiss tourists, you may consider it worth while to 

 publish these jottings. They were not sent to you before because I 

 intended to go again this year, and hoped to make my list much 

 more complete, but when I arrived in Bozen this year, July 14th, 

 all the insects were over or worn. There had been a prolonged 

 drought of six weeks. Everything in the Eggenthal was burnt up, 

 even the hardiest wayside weeds were dry bones. In Piedmont, 

 where I had been wandering for six weeks, the season was so late 

 that I took practically nothing. My hope, doomed to disappoint- 

 ment, had been that the more sheltered and warmer Tirol would Ix; 

 only in the full swing of its butterfly season, but, as has been said, 

 Bozen seemed to have experienced none of the drawbacks of a late 

 and cold spring, whereas on the Brenner, where we went on July 

 17th to stay ten days, summer had not commenced, and such insects 

 as appeared were fully a month late. Bozen itself is a charming old- 

 world place, with good shops under quaint arcades, pleasant people, 

 and very many hotels. On our first visit we stayed at the " Kaiser 

 Krone," which evidently is content to live on an ancient reputation, 

 but not to live up to it. This year we put up at the " Victoria," a 

 most excellent house, conveniently near the station. I Avorked only 

 two of the valleys which have their lower entrances at Bozen, or near, 

 riz., the Sarnthal and the Eggenthal. Of these the latter, which is 

 the way up to the famous Karersee, is perhaps the more productive, 

 but both are delightful. What I found must be set down to June of 

 last year, when this year, 1902, is intended, special mention will be 

 made of the date. On a blazing hot day, June 20th, I started for the 

 Sarnthal, but just before the entrance I turned aside to the left, and 

 crossed the })ridge over the Talfer, tempted by an attractive-looking 

 little gorge, where I spent the morning. There I took a solitary 

 Ari/i/nnia da/ihne, some male Chri/sophanusYiiv. t/nnliiis, several Lhiimitin 

 cainilla, one J^ri/as papJn'a male, and was delighted to find abundant 

 the little delicate Syntomid, Naelia pnnetata, which I had not met 

 before. I regret now that I only brought home three specimens. I 

 once took an odd specimen of Xarlia ancilla at Sierre, otherwise I have 

 had no acquaintance with Xa(^l{a. On the road near the little inn, 

 just at the end of the bridge, Eii(joma poli/cJdoyos was abundant, in 

 finest condition. Males of Lasiocampa iiitcrciia were to be seen dashing 

 about in all directions. The next day I started again for the Sarn- 

 thal in earnest, driving to the foot of the ascent of the picturesque old 

 Runkelstein. Here, on the flowers of bramble, An/i/nuis (hiphve was in 

 profusion, just freshly emerged. I see no reason, as Kane, to compare 

 its flight with thatof a.l/c^/Vf^Y/. It appears to behave and to fly very much 

 as A. ailippc, only that it is not so strong an insect. Jlirntliin iuo, on 

 the other hand, which was very common in damp meadows near the 

 Gasthof Brenner-Post this year, reminds one of 21. cinxia in its lazy 

 flight from flower to flower. I have also taken a few A. daplme at 

 Martigny, and, in each case, flying overhead and fast. While netting 

 November IStu, 1902. 



