LEPIDOPTEKA OF THE DAUPHINE ALPS CLELLES. 149 



Lepidoptera of the Dauphine Alps — Clelles. 



By J. W. TUTT, F.E.S. 



There was an idea when I started on my summer holidays, in 

 190G, of reaching the Alpes-Maritimes and collecting over the little- 

 known district lying in the upper parts of the valleys of the Verdon 

 and the Var. Mr. Powell was reporting excellent weather from the 

 slopes of Mt. Pelat (where he was then camping under canvas) and 

 excellent sport, so I thought I could not do better than join him later 

 on the slopes that give rise both to the Verdon and the Var. However, 

 there are many old proverbs bearing on the point of intention and 

 consummation which might be well applied to this journey, and 

 though I reached Mt. Pelat ultimately, I did not explore the Var 

 Valley, and, I am afraid, satisfied myself with a very perfunctory 

 attempt to work the upper part of the Verdon Valley. 



Starting on July 28th, and making Digne my first objective, I 

 changed my mind as the journey proceeded, and, on the early morning 

 of July 30th, was of two minds whether I had not had sufficient fag to 

 stay at Grenoble for a day or two, for it was quite clear that I was not 

 in fit condition to march about the mountains, but ultimately I 

 decided to go on. However, as the train slowly climbed the 

 two wonderful curves above Vif, I made up my mind, when the 

 Mont Aiguille came in sight, that the plateau of the Trieves, spread 

 out as it were on the foothills of the Dauphine Alps, was the 

 place for me to spend a day or two, and where, without undue 

 fatigue, I could hunt butterflies to my heart's content and pick up the 

 health I had come to seek, and hence, when the train pulled up at the 

 little station of Clelles-Mens, where is neither Clelles nor Mens, I 

 put out my collecting impedimenta and baggage, gave directions, 

 relying on the previous recommendation of Mr. Sheldon in these 

 pages, that they should be taken to the Hotel Ferat, and made myself 

 as comfortable as was possible in a district with not very distant 

 memories of Bourg d'Oisans, La Grave and Le Lautaret beyond the 

 mountains to the north-east, and proceeded to look up the butterflies 

 of this, to me, quite new part of the Dauphine Alps. 



I may premise by saying that I found nothing special in lepi- 

 doptera at Clelles, but I made a "bag," adding good series of a few 

 insects at which our old continental trippers turn up their highly- 

 trained noses, and not only enjoyed myself thoroughly, but found here 

 the necessary intermediate stage that allowed me later to enjoy 

 equally the more laborious part of my trip. I stayed here until the 

 morning of August 3rd, and so had three clear days in which to do 

 my collecting. I did not wander far; each time I went off in the 

 direction of the Mont Aiguille, spending first some little time down by 

 the river, then under the viaduct and up among the scrub on the hill- 

 sides, and so until one got in the land of " apollo," and then down 

 again. Just a lazy outing each day, which ended, however, from my 

 point of view, most satisfactorily. 



The butterfly of the district was tLipparchia briseis; this fine 

 species flew everywhere, most frequent, perhaps, settling on the road, 

 particularly on any horse-droppings there, but, at other fcirni 

 the flowers, and at others again merely on the ground. It was 

 interesting to see the insect, as soon as it had settled, sidle round so as 



July 15th, 1907. 



