176 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



bles certain places, loved of old, in the Basses Alpes, places where 

 the flora and vegetation is scanty, and th* only accompanying 

 Lycfenids are Cnpido minimus and Norniacles semiargus. Who in 

 Gloucestershire is going to restore the " Mazarene Blue " to the 

 British list from which some of us once on a time were preparing 

 to delete avion ? 



I have so often found that I G;et my best captures by seating 

 myself and taking a wide horizon that I was scarcely surprised 

 when Mr. Clutterbuck, who was sitting beside me — on an ant-hill 

 — suddenly cried out " There's arion ! " The stiffness engendered 

 by that cursed bike dissolved like magic, and in a moment 1 had 

 the pleasure of taking a fine, newly emerged male in my net. It 

 appeared to be the only occupant of this particular terrain, and 

 as the prospect was now distinctly more encouraging we 

 migrated to an entirely difi'erent range of hills, round whose feet 

 the beech-woods and larches clustered temptingly, with " rides,"' 

 in the distance like to green ribbons, intersecting the greater 

 forest. 



How often in the days that are no more have I carried my 

 net to such " fresh woods " and emerged unexpectedly into the 

 land of the entomological heart's desire. Piare orchids haunt 

 these plots "of beechen green, and shadows numberless," the 

 witch-like OrobancJie, and the wicked-looking " toothwort." From 

 such a spray my companion had taken a remarkable Plusia which. 

 I will leave him to describe ; Ah-axas ulmata was the sole tenant 

 to-day. 



Debouching from the woods, in a sheltered amphitheatre 

 protected here by the rising slopes and there by the ring of 

 beeches, I presently was ushered into one of the finest butterfly 

 corners I ever met with in this country. Had the weather been 

 less fickle I might have made a big bag. A shower descended, 

 splashed the whole hill-side with diamonds, and then the sun 

 shone hotly for a few minutes at a time. At once the landscape 

 was alive with insects of all Orders. A. trifolii was in force, and 

 what I take to be A. lonicerce. Males of Argymiis adippe, fresh 

 from the pupa, darted madly up and down the slope with occa- 

 sional females. Melanargia galatea was also coming on, and 

 Aphantopus liyperantlius ; and presently single examples of L. 

 arion put in a welcome appearance, for the most part in perfect 

 condition, while Mr. Clutterbuck picked up one or two from the 

 meagre thyme clumps on the ant-hills. 



I can find no evidence of the deterioration in size and colour 

 mentioned l)y Mr. Bethune-Baker as observable in specimens 

 from some other Cotteswold localities. The Cotteswold avion is, 

 indeed, a much less brilliant insect than the Cornish — just ihe 

 difference, as it seems to me, as you find on the Continent 

 between the avion of the oolite, lias, and volcanic regions and 

 those from the limestone and calcareous formations. I have a 



