THE LEPIDOPTEEA OF TICINO THE PIOTTINO GORGE. 137 



<lordius, and more important, perhaps, still, several examples of 

 Rumicia phlaeas. It was the only time during the holiday that 

 we saw this species other than singly, whilst, of these, only one ^ 

 tended to develop the darker southern hue, the others being exception- 

 ally bright, and evidently reared under cool conditions. The darkness 

 of the hindwings of the ? s of both //. vin/aiirme and L. (lonliiis was 

 most noticeable, as well as the brilliance of the copper ground colour. 

 I was very pleased, however, to take a few quite nice Coenonympha var. 

 darwiniana, the 5 s exceptionally good, among a crowd of worn ones, 

 whilst an occasional Lycaena arion, still blundered up and down the 

 banks, or made for the thyme-blossom on which gordius loves to feed. 

 Polyommatus icarus, Aricia astrarche, Aynades corydon, Hesperia alveita 

 and Anthrocera purpuralis, were all abundant here, whilst Auffiades 

 sylvanus and Adopaea jiava were both going over. Now and again a 

 full-coloured Setrna aurita fluttered over from the rocks above, 

 the marginal spots particularly well marked, and this, with the 

 species already noted as occurring below, and Argynnis niobe and 

 A. aglaia, was about all, except that Miiitaea dictymia was also 

 taken, but was not in the best condition. We left the gorge at 

 about 1.30. p.m. with a box well stocked, and wondered what the 

 rest of the journey had in store for us, but, though we fished out a 

 large $ Aphomia sociella from the trough, below the pipe from which 

 we had a drink with our lunch, it was practically the last capture. 

 The gorge opens here suddenly on the wide cultivated valley that leads 

 hence to Piotta, and the ground, at any rate near the main road, 

 produces little or nothing. "We tramped most of it in the hot sun, but 

 the upper part of the valley towards Piotta and Airolo was seen still to 

 be in cloud, and, before we reached the former place, we had left the sun 

 behind. We passed the banks that had seethed with insect life the 

 preceding afternoon, and, but for an occasional Melitaea didyma or 

 Parvassius apollo that could be spotted resting beneath a flower, 

 and a few Krebia aetliiops and Argynnis aglaia that flew almost moth- 

 like in the warm, still, but dull, afternoon, there was nothing much on 

 the move, nor was there scarcely a sign to show what might be there 

 on the right day at the proper time of the year. But we had 

 already much work to do and did not stay, and, though it had 

 not rained when we reached Airolo, we learned that there had 

 been no sun, and that we had done the right thing in going to 

 find it. But rain was in the air, and, next morning, the 6th, it was 

 steadily descending when I looked out as usual about 5 a.m. ready 

 to commence work. Setting, however, was postponed till later 

 that day. I went back to bed till breakfast-time, and the pitiless 

 rain poured and poured till night came. The setting was finished, and 

 at last I could breathe, look round, and feel aggrieved that there was 

 nothing to be done. Next morning it still rained, and this gave the 

 opportunity of raking over the brain-muddle of the busy days, and 

 sifting out the items that we hoped to tell our friends some day. At 

 noon, it looked brighter, and about 2.30 p.m. the weather broke again, 

 the sun came out, and in a very few minutes we were on the road to 

 Piotta for a breath of fresh air after the enforced confinement for 

 nearly two days. How soon butterflies do cheer up after the worst of 

 weather. Long before reaching our favourite banks, the butterflies 

 had crept up^from their hiding-places. They were not flying, but each 



