LEPIDOPTERA OF THE BASSES-ALPES DIGNE. 155 



Pararge maera, P. megaera, Epinephele tit honus, especially large Loweia 

 dor His, the females, unexpectedly no more brilliant than those of the 

 spring, Brenthis dia, Melitaea phoebe, Urbicola comma, fine grand 

 specimens, were among the commonest, with more ( 'oenonympha 

 (hints, Hipparchia statilinus, Gonepteryx rhamni, (Julias edusa, 

 < '. hi/ale, and hundreds of Pieris rapae. Back on the parade again, 

 on the sea-holly flowers, I successfully worked at Hipparchia stati- 

 linus, and found also H. arethusa 3 s in considerable numbers. A 

 single H. fidia, unfortunately with damaged hindwings, left hopes 

 unfulfilled, for of this fine species I failed entirely to get more than 

 about six or eight specimens, and these not all fine. Walking over 

 the bed of the river and ascending the other side, I found more 

 Coenonympha dorus, many badly worn ; some newly-emerged bnt 

 second-brood M. didyma, smaller and brighter than those found at 

 Clelles, which probably, after all, were only late first-brood specimens. 

 The walk under the rocks towards the "baths" was tremendously hot, 

 in spite of the comparatively early morning, and we added more 

 H. arethusa, S. hermione, and some fine $ S. actaea to the contents of 

 the now filling " zinc box " as they let themselves over the pathway 

 from the slopes above to go down to the river. On the rocks two 

 specif s of ( ■atocala were in abundance, and could have been taken in 

 numbers had one been disposed, but it was not until I approached 

 the baths that I captured my first Melitaea deione. This is an active, 

 somewhat quick-flying Melitaea, rather different from its congeners, 

 and now seen by me for the first time in its southern haunts, although 

 the previous year I had captured one or two examples of the 

 autumn brood of its Swiss form, berisalemis at La Batiaz. Here 

 I have to make a confession, viz., that many of the magnificent 

 Melitaeas brought home by Dr. Chapman from Spain, and 

 hitherto referred to by me as a southern form of M. athalia, are 

 undoubtedly a giant race of this interesting species, at present little 

 known and understood. These Spanish females are particularly 

 athalia-like, but there can be no doubt they are deione. Mr. Burr, 

 too, gave me some that he took in the Spanish Pyrenees two years 

 ago in quite early summer, the species being evidently fully double- 

 brooded. Here I began seriously to add Satynts actaea to my bag, 

 magnificent velvety black males in fine condition, and their females 

 with characteristic banded underside to the hindwings. 



Along past the " baths," and from the trunks of the fruit-trees on the 

 right-hand side, Satyrus hermione, in the pink of condition, came off in 

 swarms. Fine magnificent examples of both sexes soon filled up the 

 zinc-box, and one felt one could get in no more. Still there were so 

 many insects one wanted. A few Pararge egeria, of the southern type, 

 and here and there a Hipparchia fidia, must go in, whilst an occasional 

 Leptidia duponcheli came along with many L. sinapis. The large 

 fritillaries were past. Dryas paphia, Argynnis adippe, and Brenthis 

 daphne were mere shadows, but Polygonia eyea showed up one or two 

 freshly-emerged examples only, whilst P. c-album was more abundant, 

 but worn. A weedy field was swarming with butterflies — newly- 

 emerged Erebia neoridas, Hipparchia arethusa, both species represented 

 entirely by males, with swarms of Agriades corydon, A. bellargus, 

 Polyommatus hylas, /'. icarus, very variable in size, Nisoniades 

 tages, Erynnis alceae, Scolitantides baton, Melitaea cinxia, Epinephele 



