THE BASSKS-ALPES IN AUGUST. 



261 



after the spring is over, and the nightingales make music in the 

 willows of the Bl6one even to the end of June. Bound the tall up- 

 standing thistles there is a battle royal for the purple flower- heads, 

 and it is amusing to see how the pugnacious ' skippers ' will put 

 to flight even the monster Argyunids and the heavy lumping 

 Enodia dn/as, which I have found nowhere in the Basses-Alpes 

 but here. On the warm mud of the riverside a single Pyrgus 

 proto, Carcharodus althcecB, Hesperia carthami, and H. alveus var. 

 cirsii with the bright rusty-red under side dispute with clouds of 

 the beautiful silky-white P. corydon of the region. Males of 

 P. vieleager are also not uncommon ; and it must have a pro- 

 longed emergence, as I have taken it at Digne in former years 

 as early as June 14th. P. hellargus is over for the time being, 

 but P. hylas of the second generation is emerging, and tiny 

 males of P. baton, no larger than smallest C. minima. Some 

 day I fancy the ' forms ' of this little butterfly, too, will be 

 separated into species ; superficially, at least, the fine mountain 

 baton and the baton of the Mediterranean coast in March and 

 Digne in August are widely different. Eound the willows flit 

 the second brood of Cyaniris argiolus, with lovely lilac-winged 

 females, strongly suffused with black ; Riisticus argus is also in 

 prime condition, with Chrysophaniis virgaitrea females of sur- 

 passing brilliancy and size. Leptosia sinapis var. diniensis and 

 single L. duponcheli represent the autumn emergences, and the 

 second brood of Melitaa deione — here unmistakably distinct 

 from all its congeners — is not uncommon, though the males are 

 showing signs of wear already. A fine red M. parthenie is also 

 easily identified ; but in point of numbers E. neoridas is an easy 

 first, with Ejnnephele tithonus crowding the dull pink blossoms 

 of Eupatorium, where C. hera is also in strong force. What a 

 rainbow cloud of colour streams upward when, in striking at 

 some more than usually attractive specimen, the whole array of 

 banqueters rises in the air ! Limenitis Camilla is in such splendid 

 condition that there can be no doubt of its constituting a second 

 brood ; on the opposite bank, in the full glare of the sun, when 

 the white thyme and the gennifer fill the air with sweet perfume, 

 Gonepteryx cleopatra is sailing lazily, and the rocks are alive 

 with the warmth-loving Satyrids. Commonest of them are now 

 Satyrus statilinus var. allio7iia and Hipparchia arethusa — the 

 latter in myriads ; S. actcea is on the wane, but before the day 

 is over I meet with, for the first time in my experience, the 

 female of S. fidia—oi all the Satyrids most fair on the under 

 side, and in its protective colouring also the most deceptive. 

 Of Papilio alexanor, to whom the valley is consecrated in the 

 memories of many others besides myself, there is no vestige, and 

 tliat is the one disappointment of the day, though P. podaUrius 

 and huge P. machaon complete the picture. P. admetus var. 

 ripertii is also looked for in vain, though higher up the valley 



