AX entomologist's visit to dalmatia IX 1873. 165 



and occasionally with Asparagus acutifolius — formed the 

 predominant vegetation. CistinecB, Lahiatce, and Legumi- 

 nos(E, few in species, together with the ilex-oak, lentisk and 

 Erica Mediterranean were very scarce. The olive in France 

 is mostly accompanied with a southern flora, but here and 

 through Istria to Trieste it is found only in connection with 

 northern forms. But the vegetation is said to change be- 

 tween Sebenico and Spalatro. Judging, however, from the 

 notices published by General von Welden,* formerly military 

 governor of the province, the plants belonging to the Medi- 

 terranean region are very few, and, as it appeared to me, 

 very sparsely distributed. 



With a poor vegetation animal life is never numerous in 

 species, though, on the other hand, a rich flora is not always 

 accompanied with a corresponding fauna. The month of 

 May, when we were in Dalmatia [I was accompanied by 

 my daughter], may have been late in some respects, although 

 it was wet and not very warm, and spring plants such as 

 Ajuga, reptansi Geranium Robei^tianum, Ranunculi, and 

 even Saxifragatridactylites, were in full flower at Cattaroi 

 nor scarcely as yet had that early harbinger of spring in 

 the south, the large handsome green lizard, made its appear- 

 ance,— we saw only three. Later on the sun is so powerful 

 that everything is quickly dried up. Germar j* indeed tells 

 us not to expect much in so barren a country. Still Lepi- 

 doptera, and especially Orthoptera, might have been abun- 

 dant ; now they were scarcely to be seen. The finest of 

 European butterflies, Papilio Jasius, is found at Lessina, 

 and once we saw, near Ragusa, the upper wing of that 



* Botanische Zeitung, 1830. Translated in Hooker's Journal of 

 Botany, i. p. 67, et seq. 



f Reise nach Dalmatien, p. 162, 1817. 



