FIVE DAYS IN THE HOSPENTHAL DISTRICT. 



9 



and the same applies to the streams issuing from the Saas glacier and 

 elsewhere, where I have observed the insect. These specimens (Ober 

 Alp) were large and pale, quite as pale as my Roseg specimens, where 

 they are noted for their whiteness, but they are larger than usual ; 

 one only had no red spot either above or below on its forewings. As 

 we ascend, Erebia ■■^tyi/iie is not uncommon. Melampias vielafiums, as 

 usual, insists on being caught, and K. tijndarus, qrnte fresh, unwillingly 

 ■enters into our glass- bottomed boxes, whilst a single K. lappona, for 

 " auld acquaintance's sake," is taken, and one large dark 3/. ein'jt/iron : 

 & male Paraitje maera, quite fresh, belies my previous statement about 

 it on the St. Gotthard. On our way the usual blues occur, viz., C. 

 seuiiariinx of a large size ; both sexes of C. unninius also came along, 

 one specimen I took with no spots on the undersurface of the hind- 

 wings, and few and reduced on the fore- ; one Vaccinihia optilete fell 

 to my lot, and one female P. icarus with only a trace of red above and 

 quite unusually dark grey below, with the spots large and conspicuous. 

 Only two species of Hesperids were taken by me, but 1 fear this is a 

 group that I rather neglect in Switzerland, not, I think, because they 

 are uninteresting, but because they are difficult, and thereby I expose 

 my laziness. I only saw two Zyga?nids, including A. pitrpuialu, whilst 

 the pretty Botya piirparalisalso is inveigled into my net, together with 

 Craiiibns (■oiilouelliis. Of Meiitaea, only M. anrinia var. inerope put in 

 an appearance. Among the Heterocera, I secured after a chase a large 

 black Phycid, as yet unnamed, and also a Mame.'^tra f/lanca. Of 

 Geometers, the only species worth recording was the widely-distributed 

 Parascotia alpinata, whilst along the Ilanz carriage road crowds of 

 Titanio arose at every step, the great majority of them being T. phnj- 

 (fialiH and its var. sericealis, with a fair sprinkling of T. u-ltranldana. 

 On the mountain side, or rather in the trough on the mountains, near 

 where the stream issued from the Ober See, where men and boys, and 

 girls also, were busily engaged cutting and stacking peat, both the 

 previously-mentioned species occurred sparingly, and with them an 

 occasional Asorta aethiopella, a small Phycid that on the wing is quite 

 indistinguishable from dark specimens of (henaia nipcstralift, and 

 almost so from T. plinjijiaUs also. Our last day together had, alas, 

 DOW come, as I wanted to try the Laquinthal for Krebia cliriMi before 

 it was too late, and Dr. Chapman kindly walked with me to the Furka, 

 where we finally had lunch together, and, so far as I was concerned, 

 very regretfully parted, he to go back to his sisters at Hospenthal, I 

 to go to the Rhone Glacier, and from there the next day to Brigue 

 by the first diligence, as I desired to get to Algaby at the junction of the 

 Gondo and Laquin valleys the same day. It was bright, but rather 

 cold, and therefore insects were not on the wing, but as we took one 

 of the many short cuts up the hillsides, I saw and took V. optilete at 

 rest, and C. sendaryus flew my way, these being the only Lycaenids I 

 saw that day. Erebia lappona was plentiful and in nice condition, 

 and a single beautiful 7^'. iiniestra allowed me to take it, whilst on the 

 top of the Pass PJ. gorye was not uncommon, as was also Melitaea 

 (lurinia var. uierope. M. cynthia was just coming out, and both sexes 

 were secured. The only Piend we saw was Pontia callidice, and 

 whilst I was busily engaged in catching them, the Doctor was equally 

 busy in finding their empty pupa-cases under stones, and in the end 

 we secured a fair number, though most were probably last year's cases. 



