A MONTH IN SWITZERLAND AND ELSEWHERE. 299 



The next day was, of course, spent in the Laquinthal, but there 

 was still a good deal of snow there, so that it was impossible to go at 

 night, as I had intended, to search for the larvsp of Krebia rhristi. 

 This Avas evidently the right month iov Ciipido miniiriis war. ahoides, 

 these giants being common at this period, while there are comparatively 

 few from mid July onwards. The only other species which was 

 common was Cj/anirin seniiarj/m^, a smallish form and rather dark, but 

 hardly reaching var. moittana. There were a few Farnas^ins apollo, 

 Ant/iocliaris siiiiplonia, and I'iiiis napl with var. $ hri/oniae, rather 

 more Paranje maeia, P.hiein, and Krebia ccto, two or three Polyoiinnatus 

 icanis and Coemmipnpha arcania var. danriniana, and a single J of 

 Aricia enwedon and Kuchlo'e cardajiiincs. 



The next day, June 28th, I walked down the Pass till I was in 

 sight of the last turn above Iselle, about a kilometer from the village. 

 At the beginning of the Gondo gorge C. minimiis (not alsuides), and 

 <^'. .stniiinniiia were very common, the 3' s sitting in patches on damp 

 places in the road ; on reaching the zig-zags Plebciiia ae(jon, a small 

 form, was fairly common in both sexes ; there were also a few Erebia 

 eiias on the slope above the second gallery, and a few A', ceto lower 

 down, as well as large J" s of Pohjain mains Itylas, and two dark 

 Lijcaena arion near Gondo. Below the Italian frontier, however, the 

 species were different, though a single A', ceto was seen ; Melltaea 

 athalia, fresh, bright, of fair size, was not uncommon, neither were 

 3A. jdtoebe, l'ar)iassiHs apollo and Loxceia alciphron var. (/ordius : of this 

 last I took a specimen in which the spots near the border of the hind- 

 wmg, upperside, were prolonged into dashes ; I was somewhat 

 surprised to see at the entrance of the hamlet of Paligno (the first 

 Italian village) a worn 2 specimen of Pamassius )iineiiiosi/)ie, the 

 elevation seemed too low, especially on the south side of the Alps. I 

 had hoped to come across Brentlus t/mre again near Gondo, but was 

 disappointed. 



The 29th was an ideal summer day, and I walked to the top of the 

 Pass. A little way above Eggen I saw a single Aricia eumedon and a 

 few Pieris napi and t'/iripsopJianns Idppothoe var. eiirybia, and at various 

 points hybernated s'pechnensoL Aylais urticaeaYiA Pi/ramcis cardtii : nearer 

 to the summit appeared one or two Pontia calUdice : I then went to 

 search the very prolific ground above and behind the hospice, the 

 result being one or two P. callidice, some three or four Krebia lappuna 

 and half-a-dozen Hesperia cacaliae ; not another species was to be 

 seen ! But if this was a disappointment what shall I say of the 

 following day on the Laquinalp, when my sole bag was one Antliocharis 

 siuiplonia, though it was far from being a bad day. 



On July 1st we left for St. Maurice in the Rhone Valley, driving 

 down to Iselle ; I got out and walked the last mile and a half, or 

 thereabouts, but the only species I took were Melitaea athalia, M. 

 jJioebe, Heodes rir;iai(reae, -ajrid Apiiantopiis hyperanthus, all fresh, whilst 

 Pleheiiis aeyon at this elevation was quite worn out. I feel that some 

 apology is needed for touching on such a well-worn theme as this and 

 my next two localities, but the absence of butterflies on the whole was 

 quite phenomenal, both in the number of species and yet more in the 

 number of individuals of such species as did occur. 



(iv.) Bex and Martigny. — We arrived at the Hotel du Simplon, 

 where we again met with the heartiest of welcomes, about mid-day, 



