144 



THE ENTOMOLOGIST S RECORD. 



fritillaries, 7)n/rt.s paphia was verj- abundant, but getting distinctly 

 paa^e, whilst Ari/i/nuis aijlaia and A. adippe were in good condition, but 

 comparatively scarce. Leaving out Kj>inephele janira, which every- 

 where swarmed, the commonest butterflies of the slopes were Gonep- 

 tenj.r r/uniini and Knodia dri/a^i. It was difficult to take a step any- 

 where without putting up these species, and both were in excellent 

 condition. Here, too, Hippair/iia seinelf and H. alcipme had abandoned 

 their usual habits and fed greedily on the flowers, thus allowing an easy 

 capture. This habit of coming to the flowers was found common at 

 St. Michel-de-Maurienne in August, 1897, in both these species, where 

 they abounded on the sainfoin and lucerne. Near the edge of the woods, 

 Erebia aethiup.s began to be abundant, and, in the open glades, they were 

 in countless numbers, some magnificent ? s falling to the net. On 

 the large umbellifer flowers two Zephyrus betnlae $ s were discovered, 

 and a single Jlwda spiui. Evidently' ('oenonijnipha arcania and 27///- 

 vidiciis actanm had both been common here, as testified by many worn 

 examples. Owing to the abundance of the species wanted, the com- 

 mon blues and burnets of the district were practically passed as unworthy 

 of note, and I have no record of what I really saw, but I could not 

 resist the temptation of boxing a few lovely second-brood examples 

 of EatJioiionia riiftsula, which insisted on finding their way into the 

 net. The absence of the commonest Chrysophanids, and the apparently 

 comparative rarity of Lycaenids, except P. icariis and P. cnri/don, how- 

 ever, struck me as- being quite unexpected and inexplicable. 



One other visit was paid to the foot of the Grand Saleve, viz., on 

 August 1st, this time with Mr. Muschamp. The day was again 

 delightful, and insects seemed almost as abundant as on the 29th, 

 and some, perhaps, were so, Cnlios In/ah' being now very numerous. 

 Pieris daplidicc, not noticed before in this direction, was pretty abun- 

 dant in all the fields just beyond Veyrier, some quite fresh, others 

 worn, as if they had been on the wing some time, without coming 

 our way, whilst haoria lathonia also made a first appeai'ance. A tiny 

 example of Limenitis Camilla (ab. minor), with a total expanse of 

 42mm., struck me as being very small, but it was evidently 

 the result of a larva badly placed that had had a hard struggle 

 to get through, as a single, very worn, normal sized specimen was 

 also noticed. On the slopes Melitaea didijma, Brenthis dia, Thi/inelicus 

 actaeon, and Zephyrus betnlae were frequent, whilst Erebia aethiops, 

 Enodia dryas, Hipparclna alcyone, H. semele, Goneptery.r rhamni, &c., 

 were abundant as ever, and single examples of Pamplnla comma, Syrich- 

 thus sao, Polyommatiis hylax and P. belloryus, and a J and 5 Noiiriades 

 sevriarf/ns were for the first time observed (yet the 9 of the latter 

 species was worn). In some meadows at the side of the slopes 

 Melitaea partJienie was found more abundantly and a few more nice 

 specimens were taken. The only Anthrocerid observed was ^./77/- 

 pjendulae, and just in the woods, a single A. jucunda (genevensis) 

 was netted. Mr. Muschamp got a specimen or two of Lampides boetica, 

 a species that I did not see, otherwise our bag was very similar. The 

 environs of Geneva, indeed, present a most delightful variety of collect- 

 ing-grounds, and one only hopes that the rampant professionalism 

 among the entomologists of almost all continental towns will not 

 exterminate the very local species, which even here, close to the city, 

 are none too abundant, and, owing to their localised habits could, 

 without much trouble, be easily exterminated. 



