LKPinol'TKKA Ol' THE YAL d'uKKKNS. 147 



often, however, managed to keep the heads to themselves. PidifunnnatKs 

 corydtin, too, was usually abundant, Aporia crataei/i still in passable 

 condition, whilst Forari/t' maera was not uncommon along the roadside, 

 and several Hipparchia alci/onc were stalked, only one specimen, how- 

 ever, a very fine $ , worth keeping being captured. The Melitaca 

 phoebe were in grand condition, but Ljijraena arioyi was quite overj and 

 Clirysopha)ius i/unliii)i almost so, although one fair ^ and a fairly good 

 $ were selected from the ragged remnants as trophies of the chase. 

 After about half-an-hour the sun disappeared again, but the warm air 

 kept the insects on the move, and, for about three hours, from 11 a.m. 

 until 2 p.m., the slopes on either side of the road, and right away down 

 to the torrent below, were alive with insects, few, it is true, in the 

 number of species, but none the less welcome. In one place Sati/nifi 

 cordida was abundant, but I was astonished to see their poor condition 

 considering how fine they had been between Roche and Yvonne the 

 previous day, at some 2000ft. lower elevation, and I could only select 

 a few specimens, and these hardly up to cabinet standard. The 

 females, too, were poor, and it struck me that, perhaps, there had been 

 rough weather, locally, in the valley that had spoilt the specimens. 

 Here and there Hipparcliia semele was not uncommon, but I saw no $ s, 

 so surmised that the species was only just coming out. Among other 

 insects I captured several Callimorjiha doniinida, all, however, wasted, 

 and almost all J s, some were on the wing, others were sucking 

 greedily at the thistle flowers. Whilst the sun was shining I got a 

 couple of c? Lt'Kcuiduida sinapis, but none appeared during the after- 

 noon ; Setinaaarita, beautiful golden-coloured specimens, some spotted, 

 others well-streaked, were netted as they flew lazily down the slopes, 

 whilst Lithoda Inrideola and L. lutarella (the golden mountain form) 

 were also not infrequent. A single L'upido minima was netted, one 

 well-marked Sj/yichthns eurtluuiii, also two Si/richtJnts sao, but Pamphila 

 si/lvanHn, Thipiielicun thaumas, and Si/richtliiia alveus were in greater 

 numbers. A single worn example of Folyoiamatus baton and one /'. 

 einnedon also fell a prey, whilst the meadows were alive with Strenia 

 datlirata, and a dark form (<? ) of Fidonia atomana: a specimen or two 

 of Selidosema plaiiiaria Avere taken, whilst from the rocks I boxed Antidea 

 bi'rberata, Eupithecia contiiiuaria, Xndaria miindana and a few other 

 species. Well on the way up towards Evolene, Erebia yoante began to 

 be frequent, and from a flower I took a single specimen of Anthrocera 

 scabiosac, the only example I have ever seen in the valley. At one 

 point in the afternoon, the sun again shone for a few minutes, most 

 of the time being wasted in stalking a magnificent fresh Polyyonia 

 r-albton, which I lost on the loose rubble, but as I stepped back, 

 a large butterfly came straight down the path, and with a quick 

 stroke 1 found I bad taken a J Apatnra iris, which, although recently 

 emerged, had been badly mauled in some way or other, and was worth- 

 less. A few specimens of what I suspect may be Melitaea parthenie 

 were taken near the same spot. Space alone limited my captures, or, 

 in spite of the want of sun, I should have made one of the biggest bags 

 that I had ever made in one day of the alpine butterflies. As it was 

 1 worked on contentedly until near Evolene, when the sky clouded over 

 and rain began to fall, hastening my steps to the Hotel de la Dent 

 Blanche in Evolene. 



It would appear that I am doomed not to have a really fine day in this part 



