278 



THE ENTOMOLOGIST S RECORD. 



mmjHinea nest on July 11th and 26th. As I have had this nest for 

 four years, it is ahi:iost certain that the flies Avere not bred from the 

 xaiKiuinea pupje, but from fm^ca cocoons, of which I have given large 

 numbers to the " slave-makers " for slaves and food. All Wasniann's 

 specimens were found in July, and both my I'laiy/i/iora and AciiijimatiaH 

 occurred in the same month. 



Collecting Rhopalocera in Spain, 1913. 



By E. B. ASHBY, F.E.S. 



I left Vernetles-Bains on the afternoon of June 13th, and after a 

 night's travel arrived the following morning at the Estacion Francia, 

 Barcelona, about 7.50. After breakfast I took my way by tram to 

 the Plaza Catalonia, where another tram must be taken to the 

 Funicular Railway Station, whence commences the ascent of Mount 

 Tibidabo, the whole journey taking about an hour and a quarter. 



The beauty of the scene when one arrives at the top is superb; 

 below is spread out the large city of Barcelona, away beyond it is the 

 coast-line and the blue waters of the Mediteii'anean, and to the west 

 the undulating landscape of Catalonia. There is plenty of good collect- 

 ing ground along the crest of this mountain towards the left, and the 

 sun was shining brightly in a perfect sky. I found Mtdanarfiia 

 lachesin just emerging and secured a tew in splendid condition. Colias 

 edii.'ia was well on the wing, not as we usually see it on our English 

 seaboard in twos and threes, nor even as generally seen in Switzerland 

 and the Basses Alpes, but really very numerous and in good order. 

 Pajiilio iiiachaon was evidently still emerging, as T took a dozen perfect 

 specimens along the flatter portion towards the left, without any diffi- 

 culty. J^i/raiiieis rardtii was perfectly fresh, evidently they were just 

 coming out, as also was Melitaea didyiint. Nordinannia [Theda) ilicis 

 and Puntia dopiidirc were about equally numerous, and I secured a 

 couple of Ant/iocJiari.H hdia. Here I was very pleased to meet with 

 Epinepliele juisi'iihae for the first time, and as it was in good order I was 

 able to take a nice series. There are two very good restaurants near 

 the station on Mt. Tibidabo, so that after lunch 1 was able to go on 

 collecting again, and about four o'clock I returned to Barcelona, quite 

 pleased with a most successful day's collecting. 



The next daj' was spent in travelling to ]\Iadrid ria Reus, Caspe 

 and Saragossa, and I found that travelling in Spain was sufficiently 

 comfortable, and that excellently cooked meals were served in the 

 restaurant cars. To my regret time did not permit of my seeing Sara- 

 gossa and Madrid properly, as I was anxious to get to the next collecting 

 ground, La Granja, as early as possible. After a three hoars' train 

 journey from Madrid, passing over the Sierra Gnadarama, I arrived at 

 Segovia on the morning of June 16th. A further journey of seven 

 miles in an omnibus brought me, about 12.80 p.m., to the Hotel 

 Europeo, at La Granja. The trains do not t'.avel very fast in Spain, 

 and from the train between Madrid and Segovia I had no trouble in 

 identifying many of the large numbers of butterflies I saw along the 

 sides of the railway, especially at the lower levels. One would like to 

 find a good place to stay at readily accessible to this portion of the 

 journey. 



La Granja, the Grange, originally a monld>h farmhouse, was con- 



