THE TINE.E OF THE HIGHER ALPS. 139 



attention rather to the latter. Since here almost everything 

 is new ; and only sparingly and .singly some of the species 

 of the plains fly among the abundance of their Alpine 

 brethren. This abundance in favourable localities and in fine 

 weather, is often something quite extraordinary, far greater 

 than that of the richest wood-meadow of the plain. 



At last we are tired. We have probably caught on the 

 rocks Chionobas Aello, and likewise Erebia Gorge. Round 

 the " rose of the Alps" (the rhododendron) Melitcea Cyn- 

 thia, Merope and Parthenie have been flying. At the 

 brook which runs through the meadow we have caught the 

 magnificent Parnassius Delius, and in the flowery parts of 

 the meadow a whole host of other butterflies, the delicate 

 Orbitulus and Plieretes, as well as the beautiful Eurybia. 

 Other groups of the Lcpidoptera also take care to be well 

 represented here; the thinly-scaled Zygcena exulans is in 

 innumerable multitudes, and amongst them the Noctuce, 

 Ocellina and Divergent. Probably we have also met, 

 towards the edge of the snow, with some small black Pyra- 

 lidce, which we have only succeeded in catching after seve- 

 ral unsuccessful attempts, Holosericealis, llupicolalis, and 

 others. 



Yet now we are ready to attend to other things ; we look 

 round for the Micro*, which, perhaps, as our favourites, 

 have attracted us up the mountain-heights. But where are 

 they ? Nothing but butterflies ! no Tinece ! 



It is certainly a phenomenon of the Alpine Fauna that at 

 elevations of from 5,000 to 7,000 feet above the level of the 

 sea, the Micro- Lepidoptera occur but very sparingly, whilst 

 lower down the mountain the same species which frequent 

 the plain still occur. At any rate the lower slopes, which we 

 have so inconsiderately left behind us, are better for the 

 Tinece. 



