LEPIDOPTERA OF THE GRISONS THE VIA MALA. 221 



Lepidoptera of the Orisons — The Via Mala. 



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

 The morning of August 23rd, 1907, presented a great contrast with 

 the preceding day. The sun was hot, but everything was soaked with 

 the heavy rain that had so persistently fallen. Hence a walk up the 

 famed Via Mala towards the Splugen was not particularly promising. 

 The beautiful gorge is so deep, its sides so steep, its path so winding, 

 that the sun does not have a great chance to effect the sudden changes 

 that sometimes occur in the Alps. At first, there was nothing on the 

 wing except a few Dryas paphia and Erehia aetkiops, but, after a while, 

 these species became exceedingly abundant, together with var. valezina, 

 but both species were far past their prime, although a small percentage 

 of E. aetkiops were still in passable condition. Erebia (/oante, the $ s 

 large and wide-banded, were, however, altogether passe, as also were 

 Melanan/ia i/alathea, worn examples of both species being in great 

 numbers, whilst Erebia ligea was in rags. On the rocks were some 

 interesting species. Commonest, perhaps, were Eubolia bipunctaria 

 and Larentia caesiafa, although a 2 Lithosia quadra and a single 

 L. cereola or unita were rather unexpected, but several J s of 

 Lymantria monacha sat placidly enough, and fell helplessly when 

 disturbed, reminding one much of 2 Porthetria dispar often found in 

 similar situations among the mountains of Savoy and Piedmont; these, 

 however, were of both sexes, and the ^ s showed no special signs of 

 activity. Among a host of Erebia goante, E. aetkiops, and Epinephele 

 ianira, a very striking specimen suddenly flitted from one flower to 

 another displaying large pallid patches in the right wings. It was at once 

 netted and proved to be an exceedingly fine albescent form of E. ianira 

 evidently just emerged from pupa = ab. dextro-albescens. I also captured 

 two (? s of Erebia aetkiops, the right hindwing in each case being absent, 

 except so far as a small unexpanded saccule occupied the normal 

 position of the base. Urbicola comma was very abundant, some of the 

 (? s with the underside spots of a quite flavescent hue, whilst an occa- 

 sional Hesperia alveus was also noticed. As the morning advanced, 

 Argijnnis adipjie became abundant with Drijas paphia, the examples 

 with strikingly rich fulvous undersides, but Pamassius apollo, though 

 frequent, could not by any means be called abundant. One of the 

 commonest butterflies of the valley was Pohjommatus icarus, a newly- 

 emerged brood of which had evidently just appeared and swarmed at 

 the puddles in the road, all ^ s, however, no ? being observed even 

 on the banks, whilst very few of the examples, too, were of the form 

 icarinus. Almost as common was Agriades corydon, in both sexes, and 

 a few 3" A. bellargks foreshadowed a brood of this species, which was 

 evidently just emerging, but these were more abundant on the flower- 

 banks just beyond the Via Mala, where, also, a few worn Cyaniris semi- 

 argns j s were taken, and a single Polyommatus eras. Here, too, a single 

 Lycaena arion was observed flying rapidly up the slopes, and was soon 

 lost to sight. Dryas papkia was again in great numbers, the imagines 

 sitting and sunning themselves on the flower-heads of a large Umbel- 

 lifer that grew by the sides of the fields ; whilst some freshly-emerged 

 Vanessa io also consorted with them. The latter species, however, was 

 evidently not fully out, for a large number of larvae of this species and 

 Aglais urticae were found widely spread over the nettle-beds by the 

 October 15th, 1908. 



