NOTES ON SCANDINAVIAN AND LAPLAND BUTTERFLIES. 243 



butterflies as were about began to fly in numbers. However, as 

 I was too soon apparently at Abisko, in the mild and favoured 

 valley of the Alten I was too late, and most things, with the 

 exception of Argynnis 'pnles var. lapponica, which occurred in 

 countless profusion and first-rate condition, was both worn and 

 torn. Striking the river-bank about two miles from Bossekop 

 inland, I had the pleasure of nQiiing Erehia medusa* var. polaris, 

 and on making inquiry at a farmhouse, where I saw signs of a 

 ferry, the very civil proprietor informed me that at a certain 

 place somewhat higher up the stream there were a quantity of 

 butterflies about: and he was good enough also to put his boat at 

 my disposal. No sooner had I set foot on the further bank — or 

 rather on a sandy well-wooded spit close in under the hills — than 

 this piece of welcome news was confirmed. The first insect I 

 captured was Colias hecla (= var. sulitelma, Auriv.), and it must 

 be very common here a little earlier, for I took specimen after 

 specimen hopelessly rubbed and shredded, but still enough fresh 

 ones to constitute a decent cabinet series. E. var. polaris was also 

 present in force — hardly ever settling, but flitting restlessly over 

 the sun-warmed stones very close to the ground. But the most 

 attractive plant was evidently a sort of artemisium in full aromatic 

 bloom, on which L. icarus, L. var. (sgidion, and the inevitable 

 L. var. cyparissus disputed possession with our northern "Clouded 

 Yellow," and here and there the fine form of pldoeas, to which I 

 have alluded. A splendid "tiger" was also much in evidence, 

 to be presently identified as Parasemia plantaginis, while the air 

 was musical with the harp-strings of a thousand active Diptera. 

 Such a halcyon day I look back upon with the more pleasure as 

 contrasted with the entire week of cloud and mist which attended 

 me on the return journey right down to Molde. As the boat did 

 not leave Alten until close on midnight on the 21st, I put in 

 another morning at this favoured spot, and was vouchsafed at 

 least two hours of sun, during which, if I took nothing new, I 

 added considerably to my store of the two prevailing butterflies of 

 the locality. But of the other arctic species to be found here- 

 abouts I saw nothing, it being a considerable surprise in this 

 apparently forward season not to encounter Colias palceno var. 



* I took this butterfly also in Bossekop village. As to its identity, there 

 seems to be some doubt. The question is whether it be a good species, or 

 merely the boreal form of medusa, F. Maut. Mr. H. J. Elwes, in his " Revision 

 of the Genus Erebia " (Trans. Ent. Soc. 1898, p. 176), suggests that it may be a 

 true species — " var. vel bona b]).? polaris, Stgr. Cat. p. 10 (186)" — " subtus 

 subfasciata, trans, ad var. uralensem.'" Dr. T. A. Chapman, exhibiting a series 

 from same locaUty (Proc. Eut. Soc. 1898, p. xlii), reports, " Some approach- 

 ing typical medusa, and only a few neax i^olaris as described, which is there- 

 fore an aberration rather than a constant variety. The whole series, how- 

 ever, with a different facies from that of an equal series of Central-European 

 specimens" — which seems further to support the view adopted also by Herr 

 Schneider, that the polaris of the north is sufficiently far from the type as to 

 be reckoned a good species. 



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