4 [June, 



neither Eari/ale or Ligea, usually so common at 3500 ft. In a wet 

 and stony pasture, about 5000 ft., I was delighted to find Parnassius 

 Deliics, and caught several without much difficulty. On the stony 

 flowery debris left by the river floods, Lijccena Corydon, Eros, and Argus 

 were numerous, whilst Pap. Machaoii, Vanessa Antiopa, and CoUas 

 Ediisa gave colour to the scene. 



After a good lunch at the new inn at Casaccia, I walked on over 

 the pass, which rises steeply through a rich pine wood and suddenly 

 opens out at the top into a country which resembles some parts of Eoss- 

 shire much more than anything I have seen in Switzerland. There is 

 hardly any fall on the east side of the pass, and a good sized lake lies 

 a mile beyond, at the foot of which is the village of Sils. Here I 

 stopped, and next day had a most enjoyable and productive excursion 

 in the Yal Fex, which literally swarms with alpine butterflies, and 

 produces many rare and local GeometrcB and Noctuae. I was much 

 struck with the luxuriance of the pasture and vegetation in the upper 

 Engadine, at elevations of 6 — 8000 ft., and though the climate is said 

 to be severe, and the winter very long, I certainly thought that the 

 forest extended to a higher elevation than in the Yalais or in the 

 Oberland. 



On the ridge between the Yal Fex and the Yal Fedoz I found 

 Pieris CalUdice fairly numerous, though from its very straight and 

 rapid flight, hard to catch. This species rarely descends below the 

 tree limit, and is like Chionohas Aello quite characteristic of the stony 

 hill-sides of the Upper Engadine. The latter insect I was rather 

 surprised to find, as it is supposed to be what I may term a biennial, 

 appearing only every alternate year, and, as it was found in the Albula 

 district in 1871, '73, and '75, 1 did not expect it now. I was, however, 

 lucky enough, after some hard work, to take it in the Yal Fex, as well 

 as above Pontresina and near Bergiin, as low as 5000 ft. It is the 

 only Alpine representative of a characteristic Arctic genus, and, like 

 so many of the Alpine butterflies, is still, I believe, only known in its 

 perfect state. 



On this day in the Yal Eex, between 5500 and 8500 ft., I saw and 

 caught 30 species of RhopaJocera, including Erebia Melampus, 

 Tgndarus, Gorge var. Triopes, and lappona, the last very abundant and 

 variable both in size and in the marking of the under-side ; Argynnis 

 Pales and its variety Isis, Melitcea Cynthia and M. Aurinia, var. Merope, 

 Lyccena orbifulus, Pheretes, JEgoii, Argus, semiargus, and minima, 

 CoRnonymplia 8afyrion, Vanessa Antiopa, Syricthus 2 sjjecies (which I 

 believe to be cacalice and the rare Andromedce, though I confess that 

 the distinctions of species in this genus are not very clear to me as 

 yet), Colius Phicomone, and others. 



