THE FIRST FORTNIGHT IN JULY, 1911, AT DIGNE. 69 



females, of which I only took two or three. At last I came to the 

 modest "Establissement Thermal," not that it is far away, only the first 

 walk in a new district has so many attractions, that it often takes two or 

 three hours to do what ordinarily would take under one. Here S. cordida 

 was very abundant and the first BJri/nnis lavatera: fell a captive to me, to 

 be followed by a Li/cacna arion somewhat paatic. This was a male of the 

 form ab. unicolor, without any spots on the upper surface, as were all 

 the males I took. The species was however rapidly going over. The 

 only other Lyca^nid I saw this first day was Cupido viinivms, also in the 

 last stages of decay. I was now anxious to push on, having seen 

 Painlin (ile.rannr, as I imagined, down below me once or twice, and 

 soon I cams to a likely ground, where Nnnhitannia ilieis ab. cerri, with 

 beautifully bright, and large orange areas, disported themselves over 

 abundant clusters of thyme. Argynnids also occupied one's legs and 

 arms, Brentltis daphne being fairly common, and in its early emergence, 

 Aniijnnis adippe also frequently displaced other less violent species on 

 the thistle heads, and an occasional specimen of var. cleodoxa was also 

 captured. Soon a Papiliu was sighted on another thistle at the other 

 end of the ground entailing a rapid run, and a quick stroke, just as she 

 was lifting herself off the flowers, secured my first /'. ale.vanor, a beautiful 

 female. After this others came along, and I thus was able to take some 

 three or four as my first day's capture. Ere long, however, another 

 welcome sight greeted my eyes, for surely that brilliant coloured strong 

 flighted thing must be (Toncpteri/.r deopatra. Another sharp run 

 brought me within good view, but alas! before I got within striking dis- 

 tance he scented danger, and sailed far away up the side of the hill. 

 Directly after this a fine male G. r/uunni gave me a chance, which I 

 took, and ere long another G. deopatra — if it was not the same — came 

 along, and this thne I was successful. But what is this little 

 Argynnid ? Brenthii^ pale^i it cannot be at this low level. As soon, 

 however, as I had boxed it, I saw at once that I had my first B. dia. 

 Then Farnassitts a polio put in an appearance, very large and fine, the 

 males very white but with large black patches, and the females darker 

 than usual. It was well after lunch time, and I therefore crossed the 

 stream for the sake of the shade of the trees, for by this hour I had 

 gone far up the valley, and was by no means sorry of an hour's rest. 

 I had not been seated long before a Leptosia [Leucophada) dodged 

 about around me, and impelled me to secure what turned out to be L. 

 sinapis var. diniensis : several others came by and shared a like fate, 

 for they were fine fresh specimens. The ground further up the valley 

 did not look very promising, and it was getting towards 3 p.m., so 1 

 thought it wise to retrace my steps, but added nothing fresh to my list 

 except a rather worn Aporia cratae(ji. 



The next day I took my way for the hill La Cullette, but instead 

 of going by the usual track (as I found it to be later on) I took — by 

 mistake — a much harder climb, which brought me direct on to the 

 highest point of the hill — a small level area surrounded on three sides 

 by precipitous rocks around which Papilio and Parnassius loved to 

 disport themselves just out of reach. But to return to the roadside. 

 The cemetery proved no good, the only insects there being Adopaea 

 lineola, Aitiiiaden ftylvanax and a few Plebeius argufi. As I came near 

 the turning, where we leave the main road, a fine Satijnis circe flew 

 along the top of the wall that was covered with the small wild clematis, 



