70 THE entomologist's record. 



and provokingl)^ dipped whenever I came up to it, but it led me mto 

 the field on my way to La Collete, and I was able to catch several 

 specimens all beautifully fresh. Here, also, two more fine J G. 

 cleopatra, with one nice ? , fell to my net. As I made my way up the 

 old bed of a stream, N. iluis var. cerri was again oi evidence, and P. 

 escheri was not uncommon with occasional specimens of A. coridon, 

 and Lvncnitis caiiiilla also sailed gracefully over various flowers and 

 seemed especially fond of the little clematis that grows on everything. 

 The lavender, however, that covers so plentifully the sides of this hill, 

 attracted the Lijcaenidae greatly. One large pale blue suddenly 

 descended on to a head of it near me; a glance was enough, a rush 

 even though at an angle nearer 70'' than 45'', and a stroke, and my 

 first S Pnli/nwwatus meleai/er was safely transferred to a box, being 

 the first specimen of this insect I had seen on the wing. Then Pob/- 

 ovunatus In/loa came within range and was also secured, whilst later on 

 the beautiful blue female of P. melecujer was likewise captured. As- 

 cending still, Sati/rns cordula was abundant everywhere, biit the 

 gradient became so steep, having gone the wrong way, that much 

 collecting was impossible, though one or two unusually large P. apollo 

 could not be resisted. At last, however, I emerged on to the top 

 plateau already referred to, and after a minute's breathing space, a 

 white butterfly, new to me in this locality, flew hj, and I discovered that 

 I had Anthocharis belia var. auannia in my net, whilst a second one 

 soon followed it. Then P. wachaon hurtled wildly by, but was stopped 

 in his onward course by a timely stroke. A beautiful specimen of P. 

 pndaliriiis had, however, been engaging my attention as he hovered 

 out of reach over the precipice, I was hoping it might prove to 

 be the southern var. feixthamelii. At last it came over the plateau 

 and I succeeded in my quest. It turned out to be about midway 

 between the parent form and its variety, it being decidedly whiter 

 than more northern specimens, but the anal spot was not quite red. 

 Then a P. ale.ranor was captured, and ere I left, a second "transit 

 ad var. feist/ianielii " shared a like fate. A little below this, on a 

 later date, a single Laeosopis roharin fell to my lot, a species for which I was 

 specially on the look out, but it was the only one, and is evidently rare 

 around Digne. On another day I came across a meadow-like hollow 

 just below the ridge of the Collette en route for the Dourbes valley, 

 absolutely full of flowers, lavender, valerian, clematis, thistles and 

 many others — a wonderful sight. The colour of the flowers, the rich 

 green of the grass and the butterflies, the rich dark black (as it looked) 

 of «S'. cordula in abundance, with the lovely grey undersides of the 

 females of the same species, P. apollo and L. sihi/lla determined not 

 to be caught, various blues already named ; every head of flowers was 

 occupied by something. Melitaea didi/ma was in profusion with 

 several females, one or two being very black. It was a sight not 

 easily forgotten. Here also I took my first M. phoebe for this locality, 

 a fine red specimen, a single ('alias In/ale, absolutely fresh 

 also fell a victim to my attentions, as well as a fine female 

 A. af/laia. Loweia alri/drron var. i/ordius also spread its wings 

 to the sun attracted by the sweet-scented lavender and found a 

 temporary home in one of my boxes. This species was rare (probably 

 over) for I only took three during my visit. On the other side of the 

 hill M. athalia was not rare, the females being large, fine specimens, 



