298 THE entomologist's record. 



Eiirranthis )ienni<jcraria vav. rlnijHitaria. — Granada, in open places 

 on the lower slopes. 



Aspilates citiaria. — Granada, occasional specimens. 

 Deiopeia pidchella. — Linea, one specimen. 



A month in Switzerland and elsewhere. 



By GEORGE WHEELER, M.A., F.Z.S., F.E.S. 



(Continued from page 290.) 



(iii.) The Simplon Pass.- -I had arranged to go from Olten to 

 Geneva on June 24th with the intention of spending some hours at 

 l-iClepens on the way, but the rain fell with such determination all 

 da}' that it was useless to do anything but go straight on to Geneva, 

 in the hope of finding some of my many entomological friends at 

 home. I could not have chosen a worse day, they were all away. 

 Professor Blachier and Mons. Marcel Eehfous came to see me the 

 following morning however, and they told me that except at 

 Martigny there was an unprecedented lack of butterflies this year, 

 my experience of the previous week being by no means exceptional. 

 In torrents of rain we left Geneva for Brig, where we spent the 

 night, the only diligence for the Himplon now leaving at 7 a.m. 

 There was a slight drizzle when we started on the morning of the 

 26th, but it had cleared sufficiently by the time we arrived at the 

 2nd Refuge to make me decide to descend there and perform the 

 rest of the journey to Simplon village on foot. I spent about an 

 hour and a half above and behind the Refuge, during most ot' which 

 there was a fair amount of sunshine, and some butterflies v/ere in 

 evidence, though few compared with the great number which are 

 usually to be seen there. A few Plcbeiiis h/culas, a fair show of 

 ]\ aef/on, ot smallish size, but fresh, and a single 2 Poh/oiiniiatiis 

 I'scheri represented the " blues," while the "skippers " could only run 

 to a few JJesperia cartltaiiii, not a single IL serratidae being in evidence; 

 I took a couple of <? Melitoea atirelia which was only just coming out, 

 but a few small, dark, worn M. cin.via came somewhat in the nature 

 of a surprise, though I find that I have once before taken this species 

 on the slopes below the Refuge. One hwria lathnnia and a specimen 

 or two of Colias phicomone and ( '. In/ale complete the list. I continued 

 my journey as far as the Ganter Bridge without seeing anything, but 

 on the bank leading down to the stream shortly before the bridge some 

 insect life was at last visible, the species being Melitaea athalia, smaller 

 than in the plain, jSI. pJiocbe, M. (liihj)iia with the ? form alpina, 

 PohjoinuuitHii hylas, $ s only, very fresh, and varying greatly in size, and 

 Krehia ceto, all these being in very good condition ; M. aurdia, which 

 usually abounds here in June was apparently not yet out so far up the 

 valley. From the Ganter Bridge to the top of the Pass a single 

 Pararije hicra was the only butterfly I saw; on the southern side I took 

 three " whites " — all I saw — which turned out to be Puntia calUdire, 

 Anthocharis siinplonia, and Pieris napi. 



I was received at the Fletschhorn (figuratively speaking) with open 

 arms, and only realized how long I had left Switzerland when I saw 

 the size to which the younger members of the family had grown, " le 

 petit Joseph" having become a big lad of 16, and even the " baby" 

 esteeming herself quite old enough to carry luggage down from the 

 diligence ! 



