152 the entomologist's record. 



uncommon, and then Parnassius apollo appeared, showing that the 

 mountain species were possibly up the Mont Aiguille, but I did not 

 go to see. Here, too, a late 5 Aporia crataegi was detected in the act 

 of oviposition, and we found many nets containing newly-hatched 

 larva}. Pararge maera was common but worn, the females of a fine 

 full, fulvous type, and there were a few Issoria lathonia, swift on wing, 

 but occasionally to be captured as they swung on a scabious flower. 

 Polyommatus damon, in one place, near the railway, was locally not 

 uncommon, but it was evidently not at all generally distributed. 

 One, perha.ps, ought also to notice that Chrysophanids were con- 

 spicuous by their absence. Only one specimen was taken, a fine 

 banded example of Rumicia pldaeas. 



I was much surprised at the small size of many specimens taken. 

 I should call the $ Hipparchia briseis, on the whole, well below 

 average size, and this was certainly the case with Melanaryia galatea, 

 some of which were very small. Several of the Agriades corydon and 

 Polyommatus icarus were undersized, and one Colias edusa ab. helice, 

 was quite a pigmy. 



To many British collectors, no doubt, a large bed of Saponaria 

 officinalis near the roadside would have proved a greater attraction than 

 dinner, for, waiting one evening for dinner to be served, I sauntered 

 up to the flowers, and was pleased to see the large Sphingids 

 exceedingly busy. Successive strokes of the net brought in Phryxus 

 livornica, Hyles euphorbiae, P. livornica, and no doubt, had one been 

 disposed, one could have caught as many P. livornica as one wished, 

 but one cannot pack Sphingids when "tripping," and so one has to 

 let the lovely creatures go. At any rate, I brought away some 500 

 nice specimens of other species as trophies of the three days' lounge, 

 and I set off for Digne with more verve, and better fit by ages, than 

 when I had arrived at Clelles four days before. 



A special aberration of Callophrys rubi var. fervida. 



By T. A. CHAPMAN, M.D., F.Z.S., F.E.S. 

 On February 14th, 1907, I exhibited, at the South London Ento- 

 mological Society, a specimen of Callophrys rubi J , which I afterwards 

 handed over to Mr. Tutt. It was taken near Hyeres in 1907. Mr. 

 Tutt mentions it under the heading var. fervida in his Brit. Butts., ii., 

 p. 96, now appearing. This year I took another precisely similar 

 specimen at Hyeres, I say precisely, but, actually, I have this specimen, 

 Mr. Tutt has the other, and not having seen them side by side, there 

 may be slight differences. This seems to be an aberration quite 

 distinct from var. fervida, which is a southern race rather than an 

 aberration, the specimens I have seen, supposed to be fervida, are 

 smaller if anything than C. rubi (type), and have not the peculiar 

 antennae of these two specimens. C. rubi has the shaft of the antenna 

 ringed, the club black, with the last three (or four) joints red ; the 

 black portion has scales dorsally, gradually narrowing, and ceasing 

 just before the red joints, the under and lateral parts are bare of scales 

 and structurally identical with the red portion, only black. In the 

 aberration noticed, the scaleless portion of the antenna is entirely red, so 

 that it looks dorsally very like the normal form, but from beneath shows 

 nearly the whole club as red. 



