228 THE entomologist's record. 



It is found as far east as the Kirghis Steppes and Bussorah, on the 

 Persian Gulf. In spite of its size, it does not do any serious damage 

 to agriculture, like its near neighbour, Srhistoorra jnieifrina, Oliv., 

 which is notorious. 



TETTiCrmjE. — Tcttix sufiulatKs, L. — One specimen only, Cannes, 

 March, 1897. Common in Central and Southern Europe, and not 

 uncommon in this country. It is an exceedingly variable species ; 

 in fact, Zetterstedt made four species of it, whilst Philippi counted 

 twelve varieties, and Fieber fourteen. It is usually a dark species, 

 but this specimen is nearly white. I have taken similar aberrations in 

 the allied T. blpunctatus, L., on the chalk at the Warren, Folkestone. 

 The species of Tettic are the only grasshoppers that are known to 

 hybernate in England. Some exotic species of the group are re- 

 markable, from their habit of leaping into running streams, and 

 sitting on a stone, and allowing the water to completely cover them. 



Contributions to the fauna of the Dauphine Alps. 



IX. — The Moths of La Grave. — Resting habit of Sphinx convolvuli. 

 — Lazy Deilephila euphorble larv^. — Abundance of yellow- 



AND white-coloured MOTHS ON MOUNTAIN PASTURES. ThE PlUMES 



of AN Alpine Valley. 



By J. W. TUTT, F.E.S. 



If the warm wet weather experienced at La Grave was against 

 butterfly catching and long journeys, it had perhaps one good result, 

 inasmuch as it made us work hard for small things in the near neigh- 

 bourhood of the hotel, and probably the Micro-lepidopterists will say 

 that we got much better results than we might have done with 

 sunnier weather. Here, too, I would acknowledge my great indebted- 

 ness to Lord Walsingham and Mr. Durrant, who have overhauled and 

 named the greater part of my captures among the smaller fry. It 

 would appear that La Grave is a marvellous locality for "plumes." 



SPHINGO-BOMBYCID STIRPS. - Sphingides.— Sphingid^.— 

 Sphinx conroUndi. — We were pleased to find a specimen of this 

 grand moth at rest on an old post, at a height of almost 6,000ft. 

 above the sea-level. It is a treat to see a moth like this in its 

 native wulds at rest, and the excellent manner in which it was 

 protected was very striking. We remember seeing several specimens 

 of this species resting on the wooden frames of the hop-bins, in 

 the hop-gardens on the outskirts of Cobham Woods, in the early 

 " seventies." Even there they were excellently protected. Bcilephila 

 I'liphorbiac. — Large and apparently conspicuous as these larvae are, it 

 is easier to walk over them than to see them until one knows how to 

 look for them. They were very abundant on the wayside banks and 

 slopes all round the village. The lazy habits of this caterpillar are 

 beyond belief. We used to keep the larvje on the mantel -piece of the 

 I'oom without any covering whatever. They never left the food until 

 the last mouthful was eaten. 



Geometrides. — It was a wonderful sight, on two mornings, 

 when, in a warm drizzle, the sun struggling against the rain, the 

 mountain side swarmed with moths. Some people who have never 

 been up a mountain sometimes talk as if all moths that inhabit high 



