A BUTTERFLY HUNT IN SOME PARTS OF UNEXPLORED FRANCE. 127 
Lycamnipm.—Chrysophanus virgauree.—Males only out. 
C. hippothoé, var. ewrybia.—Males over; isolated females in all 
states, from freshly emerged to mere ‘rags of quality,” chiefly the latter. 
C. dorilis, var. subalpina.—Rare. 
C. phleas.—Very rare; probably between the two generations (?) 
at this altitude. 
(Lycena alcon.—Mr. Morris and Mr. Tucker had fine series of 
this butterfly from the neighbourhood of Barcelonnette. Not met 
with by me.) 
Cupido minimus.—Nearly over. 
Nomiades semiargus.—Very occasionally. 
Agriades damon.—The commonest “ Blue” round Larche, and in 
pastures by the river on the Lauzanier route; females predominant, 
with several ab. maculata, Reverdin. 
A. corydon.—Searce ; males only here and there. 
A. hylas, A. eschert.—Not common. 
Polyommatus icarus, P. eros.—Generally common from the village 
to the Col, and on both sides of the Ubayette. Females by no means 
scarce. A large form compared with the Swiss. 
P. medon.—Quite common. 
P. orbttulus——Seemed to be very rare; one or two only at the 
highest levels explored (8000-8500 ft.). 
P. pheretes.—Locally common. The females taken by me in the 
Ornaye valley, and the mountains generally to the south-east of 
Larche, are so distinctive in appearance, when placed side by side 
with examples from other alpine localities, as almost to constitute a 
variety. The ground colour of all the wings on the upper side is 
black ; not dark or cinnamon brown, as in those of my collection 
from Switzerland, the Brenner, Stelvio, &c. But the most marked 
feature is the discoidal spot on the fore wings, usually obsolescent or 
insignificant in size and black in colour. Here it is large, and of the 
same lovely azure hue as of the wings of the male; while the basal 
area of all four wings on the upper side is also heavily scaled with 
blue of the same depth and brilliancy; this latter character absent 
in many, but not all of the Swiss and Hastern Alps forms of my 
acquaintance. I propose, then, for this Larche form, if not already 
named, the name azurica, new ab., female. The female Lycznids, 
asin the case of damon cited above, show a regional tendency to 
develop blue spots on the upper side of the wings. 
(P. optilete, taken by Guillemot on the slopes which reach down 
to the Lac de la Madeleine, and one of the rarest of the group in the 
French Alps, I did not encounter.) 
Plebeius argyrognomon.—Not common. Females of the brown type, 
P. argus.—Common, but both sexes getting rather passés. 
I observed no Theclids at Larche, and I see that Guillemot failed 
to do so. 
PAPILIONIDH.—Papilio machaon.—A single fresh male in the Val 
d’Ornaye at about 8000 ft. 
Parnassius apollo—Not at the higher levels. Fairly common 
below Larche. 
P. delius.—From the upper Ubayette valley to about 8500 ft., in 
the Val d’Ornaye. Fairly common ; males only observed or captured. 
