A TRIP TO CORSICA AND THE AI-PES MARITIMKS. 2i9 



chance fritillary, which I suppof?ed to be the more common J.s.sor/a 

 lathnnia, turned out to be a male of An/i/nnifi elisa, a bold flyer, 

 evidently fresh upon the wing, and thus, judgiiio; from previous 

 records, close on a month late. This is a very difficult insect to catch, 

 especially as, at this period, the males appear to settle but seldom, and 

 once missed you will not easily have the opportunity of a second shot 

 without patient waiting. Yet I found that with this, as with so many 

 other butterflies, it appeared to have its "beat," and here, evey quarter 

 of an hour or so, a specimen would crop up. On the railway-sleepers, 

 which I found afterwards to be a favourite basking-place of the species, 

 I took my first Sati/riis neoDii/ris, also perfectly fresh, and late in emer- 

 gence. The " blues " were decidedly scarce — a fine bold form oiPohj- 

 oin Hiatus icarns (the females remarkably large and distinct as to constitute 

 a variety), P. ht/la.s, P. astrarc/w, and a very occasional /'. baton, consti- 

 tuted the bag. Unfortunately on this, as so many other days during my 

 stay, the weather hazed in, and, next day, the only rain experienced in my 

 five weeks' journeying swept up from the sea and enveloped La Foce 

 in a misty deluge. A second visit to Ajaccio was as unsuccessful, 

 entomologically, as my first, the lowland herbage being practically 

 burnt up, and the thistles, to my surprise, unvisited even in the most 

 promising spots. The 16th was probably the best day I had of many 

 most enjoyable in the island. I am the less likely to forget it, as, 

 almost before I had unfurled my net upon the railway to walk from 

 Vizzavona to Tattone, I stumbled upon a perfect male Papilio 

 JiospitDn, which I had been led to expect here from the previously noted 

 abundance of fennel. This, with two battered females which I 

 released, was, however, the sole example of this splendid butterfly 

 captured, and though I saw, stalked and actually missed one 

 other, all in the same region, I could neither hit upon another 

 specimen, nor find the ova or larv?^ on the foodplant. Walking down 

 the line which appears to be used by the inhabitants as a highway as 

 well, N. ncoiin/ris occurred fairly plentifully, but always singly. 

 ( 'alias ((l KM! , the var. hdice, and ( '. Iti/alc were also abundant, while the 

 woods between the river and the railway swarmed with Dnjas jia/ihia, 

 but little else. Close to the hotel, however, on the older flowers, a 

 very beautiful form of ( i/aniyin ari/ioliis was flying, the upper wings of 

 the female almost wholly black, and the discoidal spot very distinctly 

 marked. Here also I noticed I'lirauwis atalanta, P. canlni, fresh and 

 fine, and a single Vanessa in, a butterfly which I am given to understand 

 is not usually included in the Corsican lists. Lanijiiiles hoeticns on the 

 broom, now radiant Avith a wealth of golden blossom, and near the 

 station Lainpules telUanus (which I personally did not take) were also 

 in evidence. On this ground I collected two or three days. It was 

 certainly the most productive locality, the females of Ai-;ii/nnis cUsa 

 turning up on July 21st, and N. ncmin/yis by that date noted as 

 abundant. On the 20th, I also netted a single S. semcle var. aristaciis, 

 evidently the first of its race at this altitude, and I should mention 

 that, of the commoner things, Lcptulia sinapis, Kpincjilwlc Utltunus, 

 Paranje ei/cria and ( 'ocnonipnpJia pauiphiliis var. li/lltis were generally 

 abundant. On -July 22nd, I shifted my headquarters for a couple of 

 days to Corte, the central town of the island, as picturesque a spot as 

 you might find, but with an evil pre-eminence in the way of smells, 

 only to be escaped and forgotten in the beautiful hills and chestnut 



