12 



June, 



flowers, flower-buds, or tender leaves of which its larvae perhaps may 

 feed (for there was no holly to be seen) ; Vanessa c-album and V. 

 polychloros were rather scarce, but to be found during the wannest 

 part of the day sitting on the trunks of plane and willow trees in 

 shady spots, where also Pararge Roxelana, a butterfly of retiring 

 habits, was first noticed. In open places among rushes and coarse 

 grass Melanargia Larissa, with its variety Herta, Spilothyrw althece, 

 Hesperia Thaumas and Actceon were numerous, and now and then 

 Heliothis dipsaceus and H. armiger might be seen on a thistle head ; 

 but the grandest prize of all was the beautiful Argynnis Pandora. 



The other hunting grounds were near the celebrated Bulair lines, 

 a few miles to the eastward of G-allipoli, and were bare as compared 

 with the locality above described, for every tree or bush that could afford 

 shelter to an advancing enemy had been cut down. Nevertheless, 

 there were a few favoured spots which invariably produced something 

 fresh at each visit. Our position was about two hundred yards from 

 the shore, and, upon landing, we had to cross a narrow belt of sand- 

 hills into an extensive grassy plain, which, in some places, was damp, 

 marshy, and overgrown by rushes. Beyond this the hills rose in 

 undulating slopes to the heights of Bulair, upon the summit of 

 which stood Fort Sultan, commanding the whole country on each side 

 of the isthmus, from the gulf of Xeros on the north, to the shores of 

 the sea of Marmora on the south. In addition to this huge fort, 

 there were a number of smaller ones thrown out in advance on the 

 crests of the surrounding hills, and the whole, at the time we were 

 there, were occupied by some 25,000 men. The little valleys between 

 these hills, being near and convenient, were the chief collecting 

 grounds, although the heat during the middle of the day was very 

 great, and there was scarcely any shelter, and but little breeze until 

 three o'clock in the afternoon, at which time it was usually the custom 

 to go on shore. Of course the whole country was overrun by Turkish 

 soldiers, and they displayed a considerable amount of curiosity at my 

 entomological proceedings, following me about, and asking all manner 

 of questions ; but as I did not understand a word of their language, 

 nor they of mine, our conversation could hardly be called interesting, 

 although a good deal was to be made out by "dumb show." One day 

 an intelligent-looking old Turk evidently fancied he had discovered 

 what I was up to, for he came running to me with a small black beetle 

 (a Cantharis, I believe) in his hands, showed it to me, then smashed it 

 up and began rubbing it into his neck. I laughed, and nodded my 

 head, and the old fellow was mightily pleased; and, from what I could 



