8 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



seen and taken in this neiglibourbood, imagined that it was just 

 possible Signor Ragusa (who had admitted that he knew little or 

 nothing of the Messina district] might have been mistaken in 

 his assertion that it only occurred on the mainland, especially as 

 the Straits are so narrow that it seemed more than probable 

 that it might also inhabit the immediate neighbourhood of 

 Messina ; but as I never received an altogether satisfactory 

 account of its capture, or saw one of the specimens said to have 

 been taken, I am inclined to think that Signor Eagusa's state- 

 ment was quite correct. In fact, almost the only Mclanargia I 

 saw here was M. galaica, a very large and dark form, some 

 specimens decidedly belonging to the var. i)rocida, while most of 

 them nearly aj^proached it. 1 believe in some seasons M.jcqnjgia 

 and the var. cleantlie would occur here ; but this was a bad one, 

 and all I succeeded in getting of this butterfly was one specimen 

 of the var. cleantlie, taken by Signor Amenta at Gravitelli, 

 and another (much damaged), on the summit of Monte Ciccia. 



The latter locality, about two hours' walk from Messina, was 

 well worth several visits ; on the south-eastern slopes of the 

 mountain, where the orange marigolds grew to a great height, 

 and in some profusion, beneath the meagre shade of a forest 

 of umbrella pnie trees, A. ixindora were literally tumbling over 

 each other, so plentifully was that glorious butterfly represented, 

 male and female alike common, and all fresh out towards the 

 end of June. It was here too that we found A. niobe, var. eris, 

 hitherto not included amongst the butterflies of Sicily ; it was a 

 fine form, and the specimens differed slightly from those of 

 Switzerland, the under side of the hind wing in the male being 

 more suffused with green, and the broad submarginal band on 

 the same wing in the female being so dark, that in many 

 specimens the markings were almost black, and always very 

 broad and distinct. S. semele var. aristceus was very common 

 on Monte Ciccia ; also C. cdiisa, the var. hdicc occurring not 

 unfrequently with the type ; w^e took several specimens of it, and 

 I had also caught one at Syracuse ; possibly the absence of C. 

 liyale from the island, thereby enabling one to know that every 

 light-coloured Colias must necessarily belong to this variety, had 

 something to do with it. There was also in Sicily another slight 

 variety of C. edusa, described by Signor Ragusa, and called var. 

 minor on account of its exceednigly diminutive size ; I took one 

 male specimen (measuring only 1*25) during a few days 1 spent 

 again at Palermo in June. The weather was wmdy, and i was 

 again disappointed in my hope to find M.japygia ; nideed I took 

 little of any importance, except, perhaps, some very line specimens 

 of C. i^amyhilus, var. lylliis ; and I was glad to return to Messina, 

 as, so far as my superficial experience goes, I certainly consider 

 that district to be the most productive of any I have visited in 

 Sicily. I much regretted not being able to explore the Madonie 



