COMPARISON OF THE OVA OF MELITAEA ATHALIA, ETC. 233 



Brenthis amathusia, Lycaena arion, Erebia aethiops, etc., and spreading 

 into the glades of the alder wood through which the Ticino Hows, a 

 very different locality from the bleak, exposed dopes on the St. Gothard, 

 where it< only friends were Erebia tyndarus, /'.'. euryale, /•.'. mm itra, 

 Coenonympha satyrion, Argynnis aglaia, and Cyaniris semiargus. On 

 the early morning of August 8th, 1907, at about 9 a.m., a worn 

 specimen was observed near Brugnasco, feeding on flowers of thyme, 

 to which flowers it seemed especially partial, for the species was 

 observed again tin's morning, towards noon, on the flowery slopes by 

 the side of the cascade at Piora. flying freely with Brenthis pales, 

 />'. amathusia, Argynnis niobe, A. aglaia, as well as a host of other 

 mountain species, repeatedly settling on flowers of thyme, scabious, 

 etc. The next time the specie- came under notice was on August 11th, 

 when several somewhat worn examples were observed flying on the 

 flowery banks of the Roseg Valley, between noon and •! p.m., amongst 

 Brenthis ino, />'. amathusia, B. pales, Argynnis aglaia, A. niobe, etc. 

 One was observed settling on flowers of eyebright, others on thyme, 

 whilst a female was observed busily inspecting some small violet 

 plants at the edge of a heap of stones, but again the actual process 

 of oviposition was not observed. The last oh-ervations on this 

 species in 1907 were made on the Alhula Pass, above Preda, a 

 locality made historical by the researches of Zeller. On August 18th, 

 1907, it occurred with Brenthis amathusia, on the Albula road, about 

 H miles on the Preda side of the Hospice, whilst, on the 19th, a 

 i good example was taken with Polyommatus pheretes on the 



flowers of a plant of thyme growing in the stony wilderness forming 

 the floor of the valley still nearer the Hospice, i.e., at some little 

 distance above the source of the Albula, and on the same side of the 

 valley, and not far from the entrance to the Teufels-Thal, and just 

 beyond the home of Parnassius delius. Such was our experience Avitb 

 these species in 1907, and it was a new delight to find them and 

 /.'. amathusia at home at from 4000ft. -7000ft. altitude, with such 

 species as Parnassius delius, Erebia tyndarus, K. mnestra, /•,'. ceto, 

 ; phicomone, Polyommatus pheretes, and in the case of the last 

 taken, within 50 yards of the spot where I captured a fine 

 example of Erebia glacialis. 



Comparison of the Ova of Melitaea athalia, Rott., and 

 M. aurelia, Nick. 



By ALFRED SICH, F.E.S. 

 Melitaea athalia: Laid in batches, one up . Pale yellowish- 



tlour. In shape rather conoid than spheroid, flat at the 

 more or Less com 6 i base when laid in groups, (but 



.)\\\<] probably be flal if the ova were Laid sim i 

 The egg is widest at about one-third from the base, wh< ntline 



Blopes up to the wide flat apex. The micropylar axis mea 

 ■(>:*> 1 1 1 1 1 1 . , while the horizontal axis is only a Little 1 tiring 



0-62mm. The micropylar area is extei O'Shim. in 



diameter. From the boundary of this area, about twenty primary ribs 

 run to about halfway down the walls of the ovum. These rather 

 prominenl tit 0-07mm. apart, with wide furrows between 



them. The furrows are crossed by about a dozen secondary ribs which 



