119 



an invasion of butterflies every year, and he fixed the date as- 

 May 20th. He said they were ' White,' they always came over 

 the hill and passed down the valley. He promised to let me know 

 when they arrived, but later on he told me they had not come that 

 year, and I heard no more about them — but from various people 

 the man was corroborated in his statement. 



"This year (1913) I arrived at Messina on May 17th, and next day 

 we planned a picnic to the Campo Inglese (English Camp), famous 

 in the days of Lord Nelson. We were detained in the morning by 

 a review of the soldiers and a distribution of Tripoli medals, so 

 the sun was hot when we started on our journey, uphill all the 

 way, of five or six miles. My son was on horseback, and my 

 daughter and I took a carozza as far as the military road extended » 

 Then my daughter mounted, and she with my son took the steep 

 ' mule-track,' while I followed leisurely looking for butterflies. 

 On Monte Cicci I had a magnificent view of the Straits of Messina 

 and intervening valleys, and Cucuraci on my left. Presently a 

 cloud of butterflies came in sight and crossed the valley below, 

 going westward, and a few stragglers reached the slope I was on. 

 There must have been thousands of specimens. 



" The next day I went to Mount Etna, and on May 21st in the 

 forenoon I found myself suddenly surrounded by ' black- 

 veined white ' butterflies. I captured about a score in order 

 to get a series of the Sicilian form (named aii(/nsta), but soon 

 a thunderstorm came on and all butterflies disappeared. I was able 

 to find cover in a ' shelter ' which the labourers had built up of 

 lava got from a cornfield. 



" On returning to Messina there was a message for me from my 

 son's workman telling me the white butterflies invaded Cucuraci 

 on May 18th, and his English clerk and Mr. Peake (an ento- 

 mologist) also saw the cloud crossing La Scala — another valley 

 further west than the one in which I saw them. 



" 1 think there is a suitable place of origin not many miles awny 

 on the Calabrian coast, where two rivers — the Messina and its 

 tributary, the Marepotamo, form an immense plain. I hoped to 

 go there, but the heat was so intense during my stay that I 

 gave it up. 



" Curiously, all the specimens of both P. brassica; and A. craUcgi 

 that I took in connection with these migrations were males in 

 good condition." 



Mr. A. Sich exhibited the cocoon of Xepticula viininetella, which 

 was formed at the tip of a willow leaf ; a case of a species of lepi- 



