1885.] 158 



AN ENTOMOLOGICAL EXCURSION IN THE ALPS. 

 BY H. T. STAINTON, P.L.S. 



On Thm'sday, July 13th, 1865, about 10 a.m., I entered the Val 

 da Fain, the foot of which valley stands at an elevation of 6,700 feet 

 above the sea. 



Professor Frey hag well observed, in his memoir on the Tinece of 

 the Higher Alps (Entomologist's Annual, 185S, p. 137), that " to the 

 Lepidopterist it is a moment of his life never to be forgotten, when he, 

 for the first time, eager for sport, enters an Alpine region, and wearily 

 climbs to the summit of the higher mountains." 



On the present occasion the concluding paragraph is scarcely 

 applicable, as we made no attempt to ascend to the summits around 

 us ; and, owing to the elevated position of the foot of the valley (a 

 greater height than Skiddaw piled on the top of Snowdon), we had no 

 " weary climbing." 



The profusion of Alpine flowers decked the short grass of the 

 renowned " Valley of Hay " with a carpet of the richest pattern ; and 

 butterflies of all sorts threaded their way, now sipping from the 

 chocolate-scented Orchis, now settling on the flowers of the Sedum, or 

 on the blooming Rhododendron ferrugineum. 



Colias Phicomone flew wildly up and down the hill side ; the 

 iridescent Erehia Gorge, and other of the mountain browns, helped to 

 enliven the scene, along with numerous species of Melitcea, amongst 

 which Cynthia and Merope were particularly plentiful. Occasionally a 

 showy Parnassius Delius came hurriedly along, whilst of Coppers, 

 Blues, and Skippers, there seemed no end. 



My companions, on this occasion, were collected from all parts of 

 Germany, viz. : — Herr von Heiuemann (the greatest known Nepti- 

 culologist), from Brunswick ; Professor Hering, from Stettin ; Dr. 

 Herrich Schafter, from Eatisbon ; Herr Schmidt, from Wismar ; and 

 Dr. Staudinger, from Dresden. 



The Lepidoptera were not, however, represented solely by the 

 Bhopalocera. Gleogene tinctaria flew in profusion, and the pretty little 

 Fsodos eqiiestrata was no rarity. The gay yellow-underwinged Flusia, 

 devergens was on the alert; and, occasionally, with heavy booming 

 flight, Zygcena exulans swung before us. The genus Frocris was not 

 unrepresented, and the little Botys rhododendronalis swarmed by hun- 

 dreds. 



Again I was struck with the accuracy of Professor Frey's obser- 

 vation (Ent. Ann., 1858, p. 139), "We look round for the Micros, 



