152 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



again all males, I conclude that the species this year was espe- 

 cially late. After hearing a good deal also of the growing scarcity 

 of Thais medesicaste at the hands of local dealers, it was pleasing 

 to notice that even in its old haunts there were plenty flitting 

 about in the neighbourhood of the aristolochia, and quite a 

 quantity at the back of the Eaux Thermales Hotel, where I do 

 not remember to have encountered it in previous years. It is 

 also interesting to observe, I think, that wherever Go7iopteryx 

 Cleopatra was in evidence both males and females of G. rhamni 

 were in attendance. In the " alexanor valley," a little above the 

 Bathing Establishment, however, known to most of our collectors, 

 there was a general scarcity, and the stream for the greater part 

 of the way was still monopolizing the pathway from which later 

 in the year I have taken so many interesting species. But here 

 I came across the first male Erebia evias, in magnificent condi- 

 tion, though a few days later it was much commoner on La 

 Collette, lopping lazily about just beyond reach of the net as a 

 rule, on the steep precipice which falls away from the summit of 

 that lovely hill. Yet it was by no means confined to " the tops," 

 and I noticed several — the single female I took on the 16th 

 among them — in the river-bed itself. At the foot of the hill in 

 question I also saw a solitary male Carcharodus lavatercB, H. 

 alveus being commoner further along the Dourbes Eoad with 

 P. sao, and higher up in the woods — the only butterfly observed 

 there — Nemeohius lucina, which again was very common in most 

 of the copses and wooded slopes round Digne, now beautiful with 

 flowering cytisus, the wild medlar, white hawthorn, and a sweet- 

 scented yellow jessamine, familiar to me as a garden shrub in Eng- 

 land. With more sun I have no doubt my list of captures would 

 have been considerably longer ; as it was, I had one whole wet day 

 of the six spent in the Basses-Alpes, and four at least when the 

 cloudy sky and high wind precluded much success among the 

 butterflies. 1 append, however, a list of the species actually met 

 with at the several places visited, in the hope that it may serve 

 as some indication to those who in the future find themselves in 

 the regions hurriedly toured by me at this particular season of 

 the year : — 



BocAMADOUR (Lot). — Papilio podalirms, Pieris hrassicce, Pontia 

 var. hellidice, Anthocharis belia, Colias ediisa, C. hyale, Gonopteryx 

 cleopatra, G. rhamni, Eagonia polycldoros, Pararge mcera, P. 

 megcsra, Polyommatus icarus, Chrysophaniis phlceas, Nisoniades 

 tages (May 4th). 



Pont-du-Gard (Gard). — Thais var. medesicaste, Euchloe eu- 

 phenoides, E. cardamines, G. cleopatra, C. edusa, Leptosia sinapis, 

 Melitcea cinxia, P. icarus, Cupido minima, P. baton, Callophrys 

 rubi (May 9th). 



Avignon (Vaucluse). — P. machaon, A. belia, P. var. belli- 

 dice, E. euphenoides, Aglaia nrtica (apparently just out by the 



