SPRING BUTTERFLIES IN THE RHONE VALLEY. 75 



saw US on board the Lancashire and Yorkshire's steamer " Duke of 

 Clarence," at Hull, en route for the new Belgian port of Zeebrugge. 

 Travelling all daj' Thursday by Brussels and Strassburg we reached 

 Bale at midnight, and rushed through the now familiar station to 

 catch tbe night mail on to Lausanne. At seven the next morning we 

 tumbled off the train at St. Maurice, the station next to Bex south- 

 wards, cold and tired and hungry, but keener than ever to unfurl our 

 nets and begin field work. Mr. Wbeeler had recommended ns to 

 make this place our centre, and here we stayed for over a fortnight. 



1 should like to express my personal thanks to Mr. Wheeler for his 

 very great kindness to myself on this tour and on one I made in the 

 Rhone Valley in 1906. His advice and help were invaluable and the 

 more highly appreciated as they were so willingly given to a perfect 

 stranger. 



After breakfast we turned out and crossed the Rhone into the 

 Lavey woods. The morning was dull, with gleams of sunshine from 

 10 till 11.80, followed by heavy rain and a falling thermometer. We 

 saw and took a few specimens of Xisoniadi's ta;/es, Cupido iiiiiihna, 

 XemeahiKS Incina, F.nchlo'e cardaniines, Pieris rajiae, and Nomiades 

 ojLlatiia. One or two AnthocJiaris sinphniia were noticed flying rapidly, 

 out of range, probably the var. fJavidior, Wh., as we afterwards took 

 specimens in the same place close to Lavey. 



Saturday, May 18th, was a horrible day, very cold and windy, and 

 wet. During the night snow had fallen heavily on the higher ground, 

 and, in the morning, we found it lying almost down to the level of the 

 river. We walked to Vernayaz, and, after hours of fighting against 

 the gale, came back by train. My friend, an ardent conchologist, found 

 his prey in thousands on the dripping rocks and banks, and after 

 dinner had a huge " boiling " of all kinds of choice snails. The next 

 day was equally cold, and dull. We walked to Bex and found nothing 

 but a few Cnpido minima in the meadows. Larvae of Ai/iais urticae 

 were common enough, and here and there we found full-grown larvae 

 of Aporiit crataeiji. Whit-Monday was warmer, but still dull and 

 showery. We went to Territet to call on Mr. Wheeler, Before doing 

 so we had a short stroll above the town, and during half an hour's 

 sunshine saw a few butterflies, Powdlia sao, Nisnniades tai/es, Cupido 

 )iiinima, Polij<)))iinatHs hpllarf/Ks and P. alexis, (JaUophiys riibi, Pierisnapi, 

 Fjurhlo'e cardamine.i, one perfectly fresh Melitaea parthcnie, and 

 Hrenthis dia. 



On May 21st we had at last some hours of sunshine, though, after 



2 o'clock, the clouds came up again as they seemed to do nearly every 

 day. We spent the day in the Lavey Woods. Butterflies were not 

 very numerous, but the abundance of spring flowers almost made up for 

 the absence of insects. Orchids in profusion everywhere, Solomon's 

 seal, lilies of the valley, and the Scarborough rarity, the May lily 

 {Smilarina bi folia), Aquilei/ia and Kchiitin, and a wealth of Leguiinno- 

 sae. Beside the butterflies seen on the previous Friday we found 

 Hesperia malvae, common but all typical, Nomiades njllarn^, one 3 , 

 (^Haniri^ aemianjua, (Jelaxtrina ar(/ioli(s, several specimens, Birnthis 

 enphroayne, Papilio machaon, one $ (we saw very few during our 

 visit), Ip/iitiidea podaliriux, (Jolias In/nle, Leptidia nina/iin, common, 

 (innepteryx rhamni, Pyrameis cardiii, Vanessa io, and a single 

 specimen of Polyyonia r-alhum. I. podalirian we saw commonly 



