54 THE entomologist's record, 



Swiss Butterflies in 1907. 



By DOUGLAS. H. PEARSON. 



The morning of June 23rd, 1907, found us at Sierre, with quarters 

 at the very comfortable " Chateau" Hotel, as a starting-point for the 

 Val d'Anniviers. A short stroll towards Chippis produced a few 

 common things, but among them two specimens of Melitaca deione var. 

 herhalemis, though I am free to confess that, at the time of capture, I 

 mistook them for Melitaea at/ialia, and it was only on setting them 

 that they were seen to be something new. Two more were taken on 

 the 25th on the zigzag road above Chippis; they are in fair condition, 

 but one has a dwarfed hindwing, which seems rather common in this 

 family. Mr. Prout has kindly identified the insect, and the occurrence 

 here is very interesting, as Mr. Wheeler gives Martigny and Saillon as 

 the only known localities ("reported from Varen") (see antea, xvi., 

 p. 17), but possibly this is another case of the distribution of an insect 

 being the distribution of collectors. 



On the 24th, and morning of the 25th, we worked near Chippis, 

 along the railway-banks, and the end of the Pfyn Wald, and took two 

 or three Foli/ommatiis escheri, some Issnria lathonia in fresh condition, 

 one specimen of StryDion priini, half-a-dozen I'ontia dajdidice, and a 

 nice series of female Plebeiiis ar;/i/ro(jnomo7i from the riverside near 

 Chippis. Here we found what, to me, was quite a novelty — mistletoe 

 growing on fir-trees, but, in the Val d'Anniviers, it was very plentiful. 

 I had always imagined that it was entirely confined to deciduous trees, 

 and a botanical friend said that the fact that it would grow on fir was 

 quite new to him. In the afternoon Ave moved up to Vissoie, but a 

 careful look out on the rocks failed to turn up HipparcJiia alcyone 

 or Satijnis circe, though Paranje mnera was not uncommon. 



On the 26th we walked over to the village of Pain Sec, and took 

 one HipjiarcJiia alcyone, a few Heodes (Chryso/iliaiuis) liryanreae, and 

 i'hryso/ihauiis hippotlioe, and some dark brown females of the var. enryhia, 

 with intermediates between this and the type. Kuvane»sa antiitpa, in 

 very fair condition for a hybernated specimen, was also captured, and 

 Aricia eniiiedoii, Cyaniris sewiaryus J s, and a few other things, helped 

 to make a bag. The next day we Avent up to Zinal and met Avith a 

 feAV good things. In the wood near the chapel of St. Laurent 

 Cydopides jmlaemon was quite plentiful, and half-a-dozen were boxed 

 in almost as many minutes, but we did not manage to find Folyom- 

 vmtuR donzelii. The best capture was Melitaea viatnnia var. wolfens- 

 hergeri, four of Avhich Avere taken settled upon the road, but no more 

 could be found in the meadows near, though they yielded a solitary 

 Polyoinmatiis plieretes, and one Krebia )iniestra Avas taken in this Avood. 

 One Ijnieia (C/irysophaniis) alcipliron A'ar. yordiufi was also taken, but it 

 was scarce in the valley, andonly three or four were seen round Vissoie 

 during a Aveek's stay, one <? having a very strong purple suft'usion. 

 In the meadows beWeen Vissoie and Grimnetz, Breuthif! aiuathusia 

 AA'as common and in fine condition, tAA'o specimens being very strongly 

 marked on both upper- and undersides of the foreAAnngs, the spots 

 running together to form a black patch. Brenthis ino and B. dia were 

 also taken, and a nice aberration of Aylais iirticae, in which the yellow 

 spots on fore- and hindAvings are replaced by the red of the ground 

 colour. Melitaea pJioebe Avas also common and A'ariable, the var. 



