A FORTNIGHT AT GAVARNIE. 151 



which the ground is all beautifully laid out as a spacious garden, 

 mostly consisting of lawns very carefully kept, up to the ascent to the 

 church, beneath which is the grotto. It was with mingled feelings 

 and conflicting thoughts that one gazed on the scene, a scene that 

 now almost brought tears to one's eyes and anon produced a sense 

 akin to indignation. Hundreds of people were about, none apparently 

 seriously ill, and a few cripples still using their crutches. As they sat 

 or stood m front of the grotto, all were reverently intent on the shrine, 

 some counted their beads, others were saying " sotto voce " their 

 " aves," others again were lost in contemplation : but as one watched 

 and attempted to read the faces around the wonder grew, how ? how 

 could such a thing exist, and not only exist, but be a force in this 

 twentieth century ? and " still the wonder grew." Lost in reverie, 

 the hours had sped, and I barely allowed myself sufficient time to get 

 back to the station, where I found my friend beginning to get anxious 

 lest I should mics the train. A pleasant ride brought us to Luz, and 

 another change on jO the electric tram brought us through lonely and 

 romantic scenery to St. Sauveur, from whence the journey to Gavarnie 

 was completed by carriage. We had scarcely got into the hotel, when 

 a well known voice saluted us, and we found ourselves face to face 

 with Mr. Rowland-Brown, who had already spent a fortnight in the 

 locality. So we arrived at the " haven where we would be." 



Our first day was spent on the way to the "Port de Gavarnie," i.e., 

 the Pass over into Spain, in the hope of taking Erehia lefehvrei, and in 

 this we were not disappointed, two or three falling to each of us. E. 

 styf/ne also was not uncommon and in beautiful condition, the most 

 plentiful of the genus was, however, E. tijndari(s, which occurred both 

 in its type form and its var. dromus. Among the blues I'lebeiiis artiun 

 [aegon, Auct.), was common and shared honours as to which was the 

 commoner with A(jiiades coridon, this latter being generally of the 

 Pyrenean form with very pale creamy underside, sometimes almost 

 white. Hendes virijanreae was taken, and I took a single specimen of 

 the much coveted Latiorina pyrenaica. Urbicola comma was the only 

 Hesperid seen this day, the Argynnids were few and far between, the 

 one species taken being Arf/ynnis aglaia, whilst Fararye maera var. 

 adrasta was also the only one of its genus that put in an appearance. 



Our next day was spent on the slopes below the Pimene in search 

 of Erebia yoryone. The path up after quitting the river bed is by a 

 series of steep zig-zags and very few insects cheered our eyes as we 

 ascended bend after bend. Erebia styyne appeared now and then, and 

 a single Melitaea dictynna fell to my net, and when we got on to the 

 grassy slopes, already so closely cropped by the cattle that they were 

 poor hunting grounds for us, I took one Cncnonymplia pauiphilufi, which 

 in the end turned out to be the only one I took, though this does not 

 mean that we did not see it again. At last we got on to the special 

 slopes of which Mr. Rowland-Brown had told us, and by dint of 

 working hard we captured a nice little lot of E. yoryone. We were by 

 no means satisfied, however, for as this species occurs only in the 

 Pyrenees we were naturally anxious to get a good series, so we 

 decided to come again after the arrival of my friend Mr. C. J. Wain- 

 wright. As we descended, a nice P(>lyo)iniiati(s ei^cheri was enticed into 

 my net, and also a single Aricia medon {astrarche). I think I omitted 

 to say that E. tyndarHsva.v. dromus occurred everywhere, and also that 



