NOTES ON THE BUTTERFLIES OF SICILY. 7 



It was now early iii June, but every expedition I made was, from 

 an entomological point of view, always more or less a dis- 

 appointing one. It was too early to attempt to make the 

 ascent of Mount /Etna, as it was still covered with snow, and 

 always enveloped with clouds even on the brightest days. Had 

 I stopped at Catania I might have visited some of the less 

 elevated parts of that wonderful mountain (said to measure 

 ninety miles round the base), but from Taormina it was not very 

 accessible even to do that. So I gave it up. 



On the rocks above the station of Giardino-Taormina I found 

 S. semele var. aristceus freshly emerged and in perfect condition. 

 This insect in Sicily seems to differ slightly from the Corsican 

 form ; it is decidedly larger, but the fulvous colouring on the 

 upper side of both wings is rather less broadly suffused. I also 

 found here H. nostrodaimis and H. actaon, the latter quite 

 common ; and a few other butterflies of little importance. 



But as I only spent one week at Taormina, I should not 

 condemn the locality so much from my own experience, as from 

 the fact, that on one occasion an entomologist (I think a 

 German) had taken a house in the neighbourhood, but found so 

 little of interest in his entomological researches that he gave up 

 his house and went away elsewhere. So I too followed his 

 example, and moved on to Messina, where, through a letter of 

 introduction I had to Signor Polimeni, I became acquainted with 

 two local naturalists, Signor Vitale (a coleopterist) and Signor 

 Eugenie Amenta, both of whom knew the neighbourhood well. 

 And as the latter accompanied me in nearly all my expeditions, 

 I wasted no time here in trying unproductive localities. 



At first we nearly always went to Gravitelli, not a mile out of 

 the town, but on the low arbutus-covered hills we generally did 

 soDie "good business." M. didyina var. meridionalis was now 

 on the wing, the female of which was very large and handsome, 

 the ground colour of the fore wings being entirely suffused with 

 olive green, and on the hind wings the black markings were often 

 exceedingly broad, in some specimens extending over quite two- 

 thirds of the surface. The male was, perhaps, rather brighter 

 fulvous than the type, with the black markings more scanty. C. 

 iasius, which does not occur in the west of the island, was quite 

 common on the arbutus slopes of Gravitelli. There was also a 

 remarkably fine form of V. polychloros. M. Bellier, speaking of 

 this species, says : — " La imhjchloros di Sicilia e bellissima !" 

 And in this he said truly. V. caixlid was very abundant. Signor 

 Amenta stated that on one occasion he had seen a perfect 

 invasion of this insect, blown over from Africa, but they did not 

 remain in the district, and in two days had all passed over and 

 gone elsewhere. 



But I was still anxious above all things to obtain the remaining 

 species of Melanargia, and having heard that M, arge had been 



