68 THE entomologist's EECOIID. 



I was only able to quietly enjoy the main boulevai'd with its beautiful 

 avenue of plane trees just beginning to well recover from a very 

 severe pruning — to use no stronger phrase. I hoped for a good 

 night's sleep, for that rarely fails me, but alas! the noise of the 

 cafe below my bedroom window effectually prevented real rest, 

 though the weariness of the flesh did manage to assert itself a 

 little, but at midnight the cafe doors were banged to, and the great 

 iron- gates of the hotel were closed with a clash sufficiently loud to 

 *awake the seven sleepers. After this peace reigned tor four blessed 

 hours, but alas ! at 4 a.m. the country carts came gaily along, with 

 shouts, we will not say yells, from lungs that were evidently accustomed 

 to open air addresses. Whether to men or beasts no matter — to me 

 the effect was the same, but I suppose if one were there long enough, 

 one would get accustomed to the regularity of this routine. As for 

 me, I could rejoice that at least I obtained four hours of peaceful sleep 

 each night. The next day I was up in fairly good time, and set out 

 for the valley through which runs the Torrent des Eaux-Chaudes. 

 Going the short cut across the town, hardly had I emerged on to the 

 main road leading to my destination, than Satyrits ciire settled 

 provokingly a yard in front of me, but I had not mounted my 

 net. There she sat sunning herself in lovely condition, whilst I prepared 

 for her capture, and just as I was ready she raised herself with scarcely a 

 motion of her wings and sailed over the wall with such grace, that the 

 sight was quite worth the escape. Ere long I espied a vast bush of wild 

 clematis on the roadside edge, with a smaller bhiek butterfly on it, 

 and this time, being prepared, I was more successful, for a beautiful 

 Liiiienitis caniilla was secured. Passing the Dourbes road on the left, 

 I came to a wide expanse of stones with small patches of grass, 

 rushes, and flowers interspersed (the bed of the stream that has been 

 evidently of larger dimensions than now). The roadside here is 

 bordered with elm trees and some ash trees. Here I spent possibly an 

 hour. Culias editsa was not uncommon, with one or two var. helice. 

 MfUtaea dith/iiia was plentiful, all males, but very brilliant they looked 

 flying in the unclouded sun. Jj/caoiidae were not plentiful, I'lebeins 

 ari/iia (aei/on) being the commonest; one or two very worn Pidijom- 

 vuitiis icantswere also seen, and a few Strj/mon {Klii;iia) ^pini in beauti- 

 ful condition were regaling themselves on some rather stunted thyme 

 beneath the roadside trees, and were secured. At this spot ?\ord- 

 viannia ili<-is ab. cciri did not occur at all, though further up the 

 valley it became a little later on so plentiful, that I got tired of netting 

 it. Proceeding up the valley At/riades coridon was taken singly here 

 and there, whilst Sati/rim actaea var. eorditla, became abundant and 

 was magnificently black and fresh. It is curious, as well as interesting, 

 to find that the same species has different habits in different localities. 

 In Switzerland my experience of S. cordnla is that it has a very 

 uncertain and deceptive flight, is by no means an easy species to catch, 

 and has a wonderful knack of doubling back downwards or upwards, 

 generally the former, and so avoiding capture. At Digne it had none 

 of these methods, and was an insect very easily taken. Another very 

 common and pretty little species found everywhere was Coenoni/midta 

 donis : it was another species one wearied of after the first day or two, 

 and now having got all that I took set, I find I was not careful enough 

 in selecting them, and could do with a better series, especially of the 



