NOTES ON PIEKIS MANNI. 305 



Notes on Pieris manni and other Entomological subjects. 



By B. C. S. WAKREN, F.E.S. 



I. Pieris manni. — Four years ago Professor Reverdin, in an article 

 on P. 1110)1111 [Knt. liec, vol. xxi., p. 149), gave a list of localities where 

 it was found in Switzerland. Of these, three were in the Canton 

 Valais: Branson, Martigny, and Sierre. It is also to be found at 

 Vernayaz, but I do not think the fact has been recorded.''' 



On June the 21st, on the path at the foot of the famous cliflt's, a few 

 hundred yards from the Vernayaz end, /'. )iian)ii was Hying in do/ens. 

 A magnificent race, both in size and colouring, the brilliancy of the 

 yellow on the underside reminding one of the colouring of the under- 

 side of /*. uaj'i from Ireland; while, in the majority of specimens, the 

 intensity of the black markings on the upperside far surpassed any P. 

 viaiDii I have seen from the south of Franco. 



The <? c? were flying all along the path, but the 9 5 seldom left 

 the rocks up the hill side, and were consequently much more difficult 

 to catch. On this occasion there were none to be found at Martigny, 

 though a week later they were to be had there too, but never in the 

 same profusion as at Vernayaz. 



This was, presumably, the second brood, but out of a great number 

 which I netted, and liberated again, there were only two which one 

 could call var. lossii, both 2 2 , although several transitional forms 

 were noted in both sexes. 



The length of time which the species lasted struck me as being 

 remarkable, extending over two and a half months, my extreme dates 

 being June 21st and September 9th. It is known that the broods of 

 I'.' manni overlap in the summer, but in this instance there was no 

 break whatever in the continual re-appearance of freshly emerged 

 specimens throughout the whole time. 



II. Scarcity of the commoner species of Butterflies. — One 

 thing, which will probably have been noticed by most collectors of 

 butterflies, at Eclepens, and in the Rhone Valley, this summer, is how 

 scarce the commoner species have been. Species that one usually finds 

 in hundreds other years not being present in tens this. 



Such things as Af/riadcs tltetis, Aricia nifdov, Cj/aniris seniiarf/its, 

 Pleht'iiis an/Kn (aci/on), Ridiiicia pidaeas, have been particularly scarce; 

 I have not seen a dozen specimens of /'. («?y/».s- [oet/on), and only two 

 R. phUwaa during the whole summer ! 



The Apaturids, too (not perhaps generally called "common" species, 

 though often so abundant in Central Europe as well to merit the term), 

 were very few and far between at Eclepens, there seldom being more 

 than two or three in sight on the road at the same time ; while even 

 Parnassnts apollo was never really plentiful. 



Occasional specimens were all that one saw of Dnjas paphia and 

 Melitaea jihnehe, never more than two or three on one day. While on 

 the subject of M. phoebe, it may be interesting to add that on June 17th 

 I captured one magnificent specimen of var. orcitanica, at Sierre, only 

 one other specimen of A/, plioclx' being seen that day. 



What has been the cause of this ? The weather ? In the case of 

 Eclepens possibly too many collectors ! The summer has certainly 

 been a bad one here, but it does not seem to have affected the 



* It is recorded in my "Butterflies of Switzerland," etc., p. 59. — G. Wheeler. 



