SCIENTIFIC NOTES. 241 



mon, and a single fine large ? of B. amathusia was evi- 

 dently the laggard of a brood that was now almost entirely over. 

 Farther on, as soon as one left the meadows and got on the moraine, 

 Brenthh pales, Erebia innestra, Mdcuiipias epiphron, Anthrocera exidans 

 and Colias palaeno occurred, becoming commoner as one got higher, 

 whilst over the glacier Pieris callidice and Folyowmatus optilete were 

 taken, and Cranibvs radiellm was not infrequent. High up towards the 

 Bricolla Alp, Erebia mnestra was in great numbers. Here, at 7960 

 feet, the fauna was not unlike that of the Col du Torrent — Melitaea 

 aiirinia var. werope, Brenthis pales, small, brightly marked on the upper- 

 side, dark red on the underside of hindwings of <? s ; Colias phiconione, 

 a 2 of M. cynthia in good condition, Erebia tyndarus, excellent form, 

 beautiful slaty-grey undersides, both unspotted and well-spotted upper- 

 sides ; Coenonymplia satyrion, a few fine, but evidently just going 

 over ; Nomiades semiaryiis in fine condition and not uncommon, whilst, 

 as on the Col du Torrent, Melaiiipias epiphron was abundant. Of 

 ('hrysophanus var. snbalpina, two $ s were found here, one nearly at the 

 top of the Alp, although the species was not seen elsewhere in the 

 valley. The great feature of the fauna here was the abundance of E. 

 mnestra in both sexes, in fine condition (lower down the species was 

 going over), whilst Antlirocera e.ridans was also much more abundant. 

 The P. optilete also were in fine condition, and Parnassius apollo often 

 appeared quite freshly emerged. Botys alpinalis, one of the Psodos 

 species, and many of the other common mountain species — Larentia 

 caesiata, Dasydia obfuscata, Cleoyene lutearia, Larentia verberata, etc., 

 were seen high up. Cases of Taleporia pseudoboiubycella were taken 

 nearly at the top of the Alp. On the way back, between Ferpecle and 

 Hauderes, Issoria latlwnia was noted very frequently, and Aryynnis 

 niobe, mostly of the silver- spotted underside form, abundant, whilst 

 a few Erebia liyea were seen in a larch wood. Nomiades seiiriaryns 

 was not uncommon, and it is perhaps worthy of remark that, abun- 

 dant as P. damon is in the lower part of the valley, it did not appear 

 to go up the valley so far as its congeners. Cupido nuniina and 

 Plebeins aryiis {aryyroynomon) were also sparingly represented. 

 Syric/itlnis alreus was, perhaps, commoner than Pamphila comma, 

 especially at the runnels. Polyoimnattis iearus appears to be rare in 

 the valley. Melanippe yaliata was also disturbed from the rocks. 

 Papilio iiiachaon was taken both by the doctor and myself high up the 

 valley. 



j^ClENTIFIC NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS. 



Scent of the male Pieris napi. — Barrett states that " jMr. C. L. 

 Perkins has recorded that the male of this species [Pieris napi) has, 

 when alive, a distinct scent of verbena, and this is confirmed by Baron 

 Selys de Longchamps and others, who, however, compare the perfunae 

 with lemon-scented mint." Since reading that, when it was published 

 in 1893, I have occasionally smelt this butterfly, but, until this year, 

 could never perceive this perfume. It may have been that I was care- 

 less enough to try with females, if so, this would account for my fail- 

 ing to do so, for, in that sex, this scent is totally absent. This July [ 

 noticed it for the first time, and then quite accidentally. I was 

 passing a bramble in blossom when a "white" flew from it with 

 another one in pursuit. As I wished to get some local specimens of 



