i.EPIDO!>tEkA Of THK ITALIAN' iuVIEHA. 223 



April 18th was also dull, although the tciaperature was fairly 

 hijj^h, and we arranged to visit Albenga, a most interesting town a few 

 miles on from Alassio. Had the weather been tine, one suspects one 

 would have made a good bag on the outskirts of the town ; as it was, and 

 in spite of the dulness, broken only rarely with real sunshine, one saw 

 quite a large number of common insects. Picris brassicac was in 

 immense numbers, 7', rai>ae was much less frequent, Papilio pixlaliriux 

 was several times seen, and so also was /'. uutrhao)i. On the flats out- 

 side the town, we saw the snail-shell-shaped cases of Aptcrtma 

 crenidella in countless numbers on some of the tree-trunks, where they 

 were spun up for pupation, as well as ('ucnuiin/nipha iiainii/iilns in 

 abundance, several specimens with a tendency to an increase in the 

 number of spots, and, on the same ground, ( alias «/».s« was excep- 

 tionally common, but the greater number of the males exceedingly 

 worn. It was very noticeable how much smaller were the 3 s than 

 the 5 s, and the latter Avere in much better condition. Aiiaitis /dai/iata, 

 Asjiilatcs citraria, and Acidalia rnhricata were well out, whilst a few 

 I'aranic vifi/aera, I'oli/diiuiiatiis icarxs, P. astrarc/ie, Si/ric/it/ii(s nialrac, 

 Ant/idcaris hclia, and Jlrcntkis dia were observed, but the want of sun 

 prevented anything from flying. Among the bushes and trees by the 

 side of the river, Paritrije e;/eria was common, Leiifoiihasia sina/ns seen 

 twice only, and Knvanes>>a antiopa flying round the willows, evidently 

 ovipositing, whilst during a short glint of sunshine, at some bushes 

 by the roadside, (allophri/s mbi and L'ljaniris an/iolus appeared to be 

 quite abundant. Entomologically, want of sun spoilt the day entirely. 



The 14th broke almost cloudless, but with a powerful wind that 

 prevented insects from flying, except in the shadiest corners, and not 

 even a Picris bramcae was observed as we walked along the coast this 

 lovely morning to Laigueglia. At the Capo Mele we followed the 

 pathway amongst the bushes to the right, and observed a few 

 <'aU(i}i/iri/s riibi trying to make the best of matters. Near the summit 

 a broken wall led into a neglected garden, and getting thereinto we 

 found not only a sheltered nook or two, but a growth of orchids that 

 was simply tlelightful. We followed a path into the sheltered 

 valley, picking up a fine series of Pdli/onnnatns baton at the thyme 

 blossom as we went along, of Avhich only three were $ s, and a few 

 Xoiniades mdanops and X. ci/Uanis, both species unaccountably badly 

 worn. Here, too, we disturbed several J'/n/tumetra riridaria (amea) 

 and one or two Acidalia martjitu'ininctata of a very pale form ; whilst 

 several ' ulias edum defied pursuit, owing to the awkward nature of the 

 terraced ground, and only one or two were successfully netted, but 

 here we obtained our first Colias hijale, a fine male, just emerged, but, 

 as is usual Avith these early spring examples, very small. One or two 

 rather large Anthocaris bclia were netted, as well as one or two 

 Leucophada sinajns, whilst several Paranje eifcria var. intermedia and 

 Faranie niojaera fell to the net. Having overlooked the beautiful 

 Andora valley, we ascended to a village directly above us, and 

 then followed the ridge of the amphitheatre of hills that surround 

 and shelter the Alassio district. A lovely breeze, brilliant sun, 

 and charming scenery, with a wide out-look over the Mediterranean, 

 made this jaunt delightful. Only a few Poli/onmiatus baton were, 

 however, picked up at rest on the grass stalks. The walk down 

 one of the stepped lanes into Alassio was simply terrible. The 



