60 THE entomologist's record. 



majority were strange to us. We picked up in plenty L'lcbeim avf/iifi 

 and P. at>i/on, with odd specimens of Polifonniiatus fnjlas and a few 

 worn Colias eilnsa. After crossing the Rhone, Sati/rus semele, a fine 

 dark form, much larger than ours, appeared ; S. Jwrinionc, and Arfji/nnis 

 ■niohe var. erh, A. adipjie, and others. Walking on, we came to a crazy 

 wooden bridge, crossing a swift sluice, which would form a strong 

 temptation to those of suicidal tendencies, and found ourselves amongst 

 the little copse of Cnllutea arbore^iccns, the foodplant of Lycaena iolas. 

 Early as we thought ourselves we were forestalled ; a collector from 

 Geneva was in possession of the ground. He showed us his captures, 

 which included two or three L. inlas ; it, however, was not fully out, 

 and, after waiting an hour or so and no more appearing, we left our 

 friend to his sport and returned to the hotel. During the afternoon 

 we again visited the locality for ]\l. bfrisalensis and netted a few more 

 of that species, and also a Thecla ilicis. 



June 29th being again very fine, my son decided to visit the Val de 

 Forclaz, which, we had been informed, was the haunt of Limenith 

 jxipuli and ArascJniia lera}ta, whilst I was keen on renewing my ac- 

 quaintance with the path to Vernayez. I found here much the same 

 species as on the previous visit, considerably fewer in quantity, owing to 

 the high wind. I, however, obtained a very peculiar aberration of 

 Melitaea dicti/nna, female, in which the whole of those portions of the 

 wings that are black in the type are of a grey tint — an instance of 

 bleaching, I presume. During the afternoon I paid another visit to 

 the CoUiitea, on the chance of linding an odd Li/caena iulaa, and after 

 waiting some time managed to net two very ragged examples. Return- 

 ing to the hotel, 1 found there my son, who reported that he had seen 

 numerous lAxienitu Camilla in a gorge, where it, however, had been 

 impossible for him to catch any. He had a good number of Krebia 

 ceto and some sundries, but had not seen either Limenitu popidi or 

 Arasehnia levana. 



On June 30th we left for Zermatt by the early train. This in- 

 volved waiting some hours at Visp, but we occupied the time profit- 

 ably by collecting along the road towards Brigue. Immediately 

 after leaving the village, by the side of a swamp, we found the fine 

 blue, PohjohimatHs e^cheri, quite commonly — males only — and about a 

 mile further on one comes to a grassy knoll, noted for producing Melitaca 

 aurelia, of which species we captured a few examples, together with 

 some M. jjarthe.nie and Arrfi/nnin aijlaia, also Melitaea dictynna, M. 

 jihoebe, and M. didi/nia. Of the journey from Visp to Zermatt, and 

 from thence up to the Riffel Alp Hotel, some 7500 feet, from a 

 tourist point of view, one could write a volume, but it is, I think, 

 sufficient to say that, for a similar experience alone, I would willingly 

 travel much further from home than Zermatt. 



The morning of July 1st broke, as usual, bright and cloudless, and 

 we sallied forth to enjo}' our first experience of Alpine collecting. 

 Immediately on leaving the hotel numbers of a Pierid were to be seen 

 scudding along at a most unheard-of rate. After several futile efforts, 

 my son captured one, and proved them to be Picn's callidice. We at 

 once set to work in earnest, and, before the morning was well advanced, 

 had netted quite a long series, including several females. An Erebiid 

 next demanded attention. This proved to be Krebia lappvna, in good 

 condition, and fairly plentiful. Apart from the difficult nature of the 



