16 THE entomologist's RECORD. 



of course, only for our excursion, but it would have been nearer the 



truth for it than, in my character of " a mere collector," I felt to be at 

 all pleasing. 



At Bejar we put up at the Fonda of Alvaro Herrera, the " Nuevo 

 Siglo," where we found tolerable accommodation and a fairly satis- 

 factory commissariat. The town is on a narrow ridge. The little 

 river Cuerpo del Hombre runs past it, and on one side aftbrds a steep, 

 rocky declivity under the town, a less deep valley on the other side, 

 and a rocky slope where this little valley joins the river below the 

 town, makes the situation of Bejar the same as that of so many other 

 Spanish towns of the same age — a narrow ridge, easily protected, 

 on both sides and one end, and with a level outlet only at the other. 

 In the case of Bejar the ground even here is steep. The old walls of 

 Bejar are nowhere well preserved. It is the seat of a considerable in- 

 dustry in the manufacture of woollen cloth. The collecting-ground 

 at Bejar had to be entirely discovered for ourselves, so that it is very 

 possible that we entirely overlooked some very desirable spots, since 

 we found that there was some difference in fauna and flora in almost 

 every fresh direction we explored. We especially failed to examine 

 the ground lower than the town, chiefly because, when w-e felt at 

 leisure to do so, a spell of very hot weather set in and made us avoid 

 any direction that suggested exposure to the heat. What we con- 

 sidered our principal objective was, no doubt, the Sierra de Bejar, in- 

 volving a climb of 4000 feet to 5000 feet to where there was, even at 

 the end of July, still a good many large areas of snow. The way 

 thereto was some three miles up the valley of the little river to the town 

 of Candelario, which is some 500 feet above Bejar, whence the ascent to 

 the sierra was a tolerably direct climb. Another excursion Avas over 

 the much lower hill opposite Candelario, in the direction of Garganta 

 and Banos de Bejar. The slopes of the hill immediately to the west of 

 Bejar were also attractive, especially as being very accessible, whilst 

 certain country almost as near to Bejar to the southeast afforded more 

 good collecting ground. 



After being some three weeks at Bejar we went by diligence to Avila, 

 staying half way for about a week at Piedrahita, a large village under 

 the slope of an outlying ridge of the Sierra de Gredos. This dili- 

 gence journey afibrded what I may call one of the entomological sen- 

 sations of our tour. Just before we left Bejar a Catocala was met 

 with rather freely in one or two localities, easily disturbed in the 

 afternoon from walls, trees, &c., but on July 17th, at several points 

 on the way, we saw this Catocala flying literally in hundreds at mid- 

 day round certain oak-trees that were very numerous at most parts of 

 the way. In its size and general appearance in the landscape this oak 

 much resembles an olive, but the foliage is darker. No doubt this is 

 the QnercH>i f/ranniiatia, whose edible acorns are know'n as " ballotas." 

 The Spaniards we asked called the tree " Encinas." They grow it, pos- 

 sibly, for its shade, certainly for its acorns as food both for men and 

 pigs. The Catocala proved to be C. iii/iiipJiaea. We found it very 

 abundant in a small piece of rough ground with these oaks at 

 Piedrahita, a dozen or two flying ofl' every rock when dit-turbed. It 

 was, nevertheless, not easy to catch, and usually more or less damaged 

 when taken, 



(7o be ciDiclndcd.) 



