RHOPALOCERA AT WIESBADEN. 93 



specimeus on a piece of chalky ground that was soon after built over, 

 so bellargus was exterminated. These were all I met with, with the 

 exception of a single specimen on July 22nd, in one of the more elevated 

 of the wood-meadows, but nowhere near chalk. L. argiolus was very 

 scarce ; I only saw one specimen of the May brood, and netted three or 

 four during July of the second brood. The larva is said to live on 

 heather ; it is certain that neither holly nor ivy can be its food-plants, 

 as the former is unknown wild, and the latter plant very rare near 

 Wiesbaden. L. cyllarus, Rott., was abundant but somewhat local, from 

 the middle of May till the second week in June. It is single-brooded. 

 L. areas, Rott., and euphemus, Hb., were abundant, but exceptionally 

 local, preferring marshy low-lying meadows, where Sanguisorba officinalis 

 grew. The former insect was somewhat earlier than the latter, being 

 on the wing from about July 20th till the middle of August, while 

 euphemus swarmed during the last week in July and first in August. I 

 met with some interesting varieties of L. areas, both as to the number 

 and size of the black spots on the fore wing, which are arranged much like 

 those on L. arion. In one specimen all the spots except the discoidal one 

 are obsolete. L. arion was abundant, and distributed wherever wild thyme 

 grew. They were on the wing from July 18th till about the middle 

 of August. They varied a good deal in size, my smallest specimen being 

 1 in. 2 lines in extent of wing, and the largest 1 in. 8 lines. The black 

 spots on the wing varied even more than in L. areas in number and magni- 

 tude, in some they are barely indicated, and in others cover the greater 

 part of the wing. The breadth of the black margin also varies considerably. 

 L. aeis was rare. I only met with four, two males and two females. 

 I took them on a sloping dry meadow on the outskirts of a wood. 

 They appeared in June, and are single-brooded. L. alsus was not common. 

 I noticed one or two specimens of both broods (occurring in June and 

 August) on the grassy hillside of a dry meadow. 



Nemeohius lucina was scarce, and continued but a short time on the 

 wing. I netted about half-a-dozen specimens in the middle of May. The 

 larva must feed at Wiesbaden entirely on cowslip, Primula veris, as the 

 primrose is not found wild. 



Syrichthus malvcB was abundant throughout May. Of 8. alveus I took 

 one specimen in a chalk pit near the Rhine. 



Nisoniades tages was abundant in May, and I noticed a few specimens 

 in July of an imperfect second brood. 



Spilothgrus alcea, Esp., was common on dry grassy places during June. 



Hesperia sylvanus and comma were both fairly common in July, in open 

 spaces in woods. H. thaumas abounded everywhere in July. 



This makes a total of 75 species, which number might doubt- 

 less be enlarged by harder work in a more favourable season. 

 Butterflies got so charmingly but distractingly abundant by the 

 beginning of June, that it became no easy matter to follow down 

 some suspicious-looking Lyccena or Argynnis among the crowds 

 of various insects that swarmed in the flowery valleys. I was 

 disappointed in failing to meet with Pieris daplidice, but I saw no 

 sign of it, although I netted many white butterflies on suspicion. 



9, Vyvyan Terrace, Clifton, Bristol. 



