THE LEPIDOPTERA OF TICINO AIROLO. 49 



The Lepidoptera of Ticino — Airolo. 



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



The idea of making Airolo a centre for entomological excursions, 

 originated a long time ago. A well-known entomologist whose 

 peregrinations in Switzerland have extended close on half a century, 

 had often held out the delights of the lovely canton Ticino, and my 

 own observations, carried out one memorable day of sun and snowstorm 

 in April, 1903, reawakened the notion that one day one ought to stay 

 there. If the weather be tine, said my friend, go up the Pass — up, 

 up ; if it be bad take a ticket down to the lakes and find the fine 

 weather. What could be more alluring ? So here, in the mid-afternoon 

 of August 1st, 1907, I find myself at Airolo. 



Airolo is a small town on the Italian side (if it can be said to have 

 an Italian side, where both sides are Swiss) of the St. Gothard Pass, 

 at 3865ft. elevation, and so corresponding with Goschenen or 

 Andermatt on the northern side. The train no sooner leaves the 

 tunnel under the St. Gothard on the south side before one finds 

 oneself in Airolo railway-station, with an abundance of satisfactory 

 accommodation directly outside. But, simple as it looks on paper 

 to work Airolo, one does not find it as easy as, for example, at 

 Goschenen, where the houses are built on ground stolen a few years 

 since from the butterflies, for Airolo is an old and important village, 

 that has existed for a long time on the main road over the St. Gothard 

 Pass, well-cultivated for some distance round, and one can expect little 

 until one has moved at least one or two miles from the town 

 precincts. 



The afternoon sun was shining up the Val Bedretto, so, as soon as 

 the impedimenta had been safely deposited in a room taken, I wended 

 my way with zinc box and net, and a few "glass-bottomed boxes," 

 towards this attractive-looking spot. On the way, I noticed the poplar 

 trees in the streets, and the willows down by the river, almost stripped 

 in some places, and the partially-eaten leaves fastened into puparia by 

 the larv* of Leucowa salicis ; eggs, larva?, pupse and large numbers of 

 imagines, many newly-emerged, were there, mostly, it struck me, rather 

 small, compared with those one used to get at Deal 20 years ago. However, 

 a sharp walk over the bridge and up the road on the way to the valley 

 soon showed that my supposition that the Val Bedretto Avould produce lepi- 

 doptera was well-founded, for the scabious and other blossoms by the 

 roadside were festooned with plenty of fine large examples of Anthrocera 

 lonkerae var. major, certainly going over, though still many were fine 

 enough to give a " good " example, whilst Anthrocera transalpina, also 

 of large size, was apparently just emerging. A very fine example of 

 A. lonicerae ab. achilleae, Hb.-Gey. { = conjiuens, Selys) was among 

 the spoil. A little further on several Pararye maera were seen, 

 and many Krebia ligea flitted up among the trees on the bank 

 rising from the river, now far below, to the path along which we 

 were rapidly ascending. Both species, however, were in poor 

 condition, and one had to net several before one was able to get 

 two or three as geographical types fit for the collection, (inoplws 

 obfuscata stuck to the stone walls, although one or two were 

 noticed on Centaurea flowers, whilst Crauibiis conchelliis, Scoparia sp.?, 

 and an Adkinia were also disturbed and netted. Aijriades corydon was 

 March 15th, 1908. 



