216 THE entomologist's record. 



made, by the little omnibus, for Carqueiranne. This visit was a huge 

 disappointment. The early spring insects were quite gone, except for 

 a few Pontia daplidice and Anthocaris helia. Every year the ground 

 here available for collecting appears to be lessened, and somehow 

 insects expected were unexpectedly late, and I only saw five examples 

 of Melitaea aurinia, all males. Pararge mecjaera was in good condi- 

 tion, the 2 s large, the first brood of Issoria lathonia scarce, the speci- 

 mens very small, as usual, whilst I was much disappointed in finding 

 Noviiades vielanops, N. cyllarua and Polyoivwatus baton going over, very 

 few being really in fine condition. Occasional specimens of Pt/rgus 

 sao, Nisoniades tages, and Urbanits alceae were taken, and Lepto.sia 

 sinajns and Euchloe cardmnines were frequent ; a fine lot of Emhlue 

 eiiphenoides, mostly <? s, and four of them very small, were taken, 

 whilst Melitaea cinxia was here also the most abundant species. A 

 few Acontia luctuosa about completed the bag. We saw Papilio 

 podalirius and P. machaon, and captured several, but only one of each 

 worth a pin, whilst only one worn Thais wedesicaste was observed. 

 About 1.30 p.m. the weather clouded over, so, after collecting a few 

 larvae of A. belia, from which to breed the early summer brood, 

 ausonia, we returned to the hotel to get on with the setting. Although 

 August 27th, was another pretty fine day, the difierence between this 

 and the 25 th at the Plan du Pont was remarkable, fewer examples of 

 almost everything being on the wing ; perhaps the wind affected the 

 insects, at any rate I got no species except JJ. althaeae that I had not 

 already taken, and many that I had seen on the first visit I did not get 

 at all. I was particularly disappointed in not getting any Syrichthus 

 sidae and S. var. melotis. A glorious morning on the 28th led me again 

 to go to the Pont du Plan for Syrichthus sidae, but to no purpose. 

 The previous day had shown a marked falling off in the captures, 

 and, as I have said, I was very disappointed in getting no more S. 

 malrae, the southern type of which, occurring here, appears to be the 

 form vielotis of Duponchel. On the Castle Hill to-day, however, 

 a great change was observable. Not only was Melitaea cinxia in very 

 great abundance, but Acontia luctuosa had come out with a burst, and 

 was in the loveliest possible condition. Some fresh Papilio machaon, 

 too, were about, and Pyrgus sao was flying freely. I was surprised, 

 considering the poor condition of the few odd specimens of. Thais 

 polyxena I had hitherto seen, to get a magnificent 5 of this species on the 

 Hill. Hemaris fuciforuiis and H. tityus were both on the wing, the former 

 getting into poor condition, whilst Coenonympha pauiphilus was also 

 abundant, but the great change was in the Micro-lepidoptera — but to 

 name them ofi-hand is risky — Aciptilia tetmdactyla, several freshly 

 emerged, only one seen the previous day ; a specimen of Oxyptilus 

 distans, I searched for more but evidently it wns only just appearing; 

 also only a single specimen of a species of Coleophora ; Cotoptiia, 

 a species near cana, but much brighter, and a PJioxopteryx, rather like, 

 but larger and darker than, siculana, and two or three other species 

 of Tortricids, whilst among the Geometrids, Acidalia ornata, Aspilates, 

 citraria, Acidalia rubricata, Acidalia tnarginepunctata, Zonosowa 

 pupillana, and several Adscita statices. Down in the hollow, Syrichthus 

 alveus w^as frequent, and another very fine specimen of Urbanus althaeae 

 was taken ; Chrysophanus phlaeas, in good condition, all those taken on the 

 preceding day were worn, but very few of the Brenthis euphrosyne, B. dia, 



