﻿73° 
  W.) 
  ; 
  and 
  a 
  few 
  days 
  later, 
  at 
  Barden 
  Bay 
  in 
  Whale 
  Sound 
  

   (lat. 
  77° 
  N.) 
  "myriads 
  of 
  butterflies 
  fluttered 
  among 
  the 
  

   flowers," 
  the 
  day 
  being 
  calm 
  and 
  sunny, 
  with 
  the 
  high 
  tem- 
  

   perature 
  for 
  that 
  latitude 
  of 
  51° 
  F. 
  

  

  The 
  entomologists 
  of 
  the 
  Danish 
  expedition 
  to 
  North-east 
  

   Greenland 
  in 
  1910, 
  at 
  the 
  winter 
  quarters 
  of 
  their 
  ship 
  on 
  the 
  

   east 
  coast 
  in 
  lat. 
  76° 
  46' 
  N., 
  long. 
  18° 
  14' 
  W., 
  met 
  with 
  Colias 
  

   hecla, 
  Brenthis 
  chariclea 
  var. 
  arctica, 
  Zett., 
  and 
  B. 
  polaris 
  in 
  

   numbers, 
  and 
  Lycaena 
  orhitulus 
  var. 
  aquilo 
  less 
  commonly. 
  

   One 
  of 
  them, 
  Fritz 
  Johansen, 
  gives 
  such 
  a 
  graphic 
  and 
  pleasing 
  

   account 
  of 
  these 
  butterflies 
  in 
  their 
  almost 
  inaccessible 
  home, 
  

   that 
  I 
  cannot 
  refrain 
  from 
  quoting 
  it 
  in 
  extenso. 
  " 
  Most 
  marked 
  

   of 
  all 
  the 
  insects, 
  however, 
  are 
  the 
  butterflies, 
  as 
  it 
  is 
  only 
  in 
  

   the 
  height 
  of 
  summer 
  that 
  all 
  are 
  out 
  and 
  can 
  be 
  said 
  to 
  be 
  

   common. 
  It 
  is 
  remarkable 
  that 
  with 
  but 
  few 
  exceptions 
  the 
  

   North-east 
  Greenland 
  butterflies 
  are 
  not 
  found 
  on 
  the 
  most 
  

   fertile 
  places. 
  On 
  mossy 
  ground, 
  for 
  example, 
  the 
  only 
  

   common 
  butterfly 
  is 
  the 
  yellow 
  Colias 
  hecla, 
  but 
  this 
  is 
  also 
  so 
  

   much 
  bound 
  to 
  such 
  localities, 
  that 
  if 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  fertile 
  slope 
  

   round 
  a 
  larger 
  or 
  smaller 
  water-course, 
  we 
  may 
  be 
  almost 
  sure 
  

   of 
  seeing 
  a 
  Colias 
  flitting 
  about, 
  and 
  be 
  able 
  to 
  follow 
  with 
  the 
  

   eye 
  how 
  it 
  keeps 
  to 
  the 
  windings 
  of 
  the 
  slope. 
  On 
  large 
  grassy 
  

   plots 
  (for 
  example 
  at 
  the 
  foot 
  of 
  the 
  fells) 
  we 
  see 
  several 
  of 
  these 
  

   beautifully 
  coloured 
  insects 
  flitting 
  about; 
  when 
  two 
  come 
  

   nearer 
  together, 
  they 
  playfully 
  cross 
  and 
  recross 
  in 
  the 
  air 
  

   before 
  separating 
  ; 
  the 
  one 
  perhaps 
  settles 
  on 
  a 
  Dryas 
  blossom, 
  

   whilst 
  the 
  other 
  seeks 
  rest 
  on 
  a 
  blade 
  of 
  grass, 
  the 
  colour 
  of 
  

   which 
  it 
  resembles 
  so 
  much. 
  The 
  commonest 
  day 
  butterflies 
  

   are, 
  however, 
  the 
  Argynnis, 
  but 
  like 
  the 
  following 
  they 
  are 
  not 
  

   met 
  with 
  on 
  boggy 
  ground 
  (nor 
  in 
  fact 
  on 
  the 
  bare 
  clay 
  or 
  stone 
  

   plains). 
  Yet 
  we 
  may 
  be 
  surprised 
  by 
  these 
  butterflies 
  flying 
  

   up 
  from 
  ground 
  where 
  the 
  dry 
  grass, 
  Cassiope, 
  and 
  other 
  

   plants 
  are 
  only 
  growing 
  in 
  hollows 
  here 
  and 
  there, 
  until 
  we 
  

   observe 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  just 
  these 
  places 
  which 
  afiord 
  the 
  butterfly 
  

   the 
  most 
  shelter. 
  When 
  this 
  settles, 
  for 
  example, 
  on 
  a 
  stone 
  

   or 
  a 
  Cassiope 
  tuft, 
  the 
  reddish-brown 
  lichen 
  covering 
  the 
  

   former, 
  like 
  the 
  purple-black 
  leaf 
  of 
  the 
  latter, 
  blends 
  so 
  

   perfectly 
  in 
  colour 
  with 
  the 
  butterfly 
  that 
  this 
  cannot 
  be 
  seen 
  

   before 
  it 
  starts 
  up. 
  It 
  is 
  very 
  shy, 
  flying 
  often 
  far 
  before 
  it 
  

  

  