79 



A "BUTTEEFLY SUMMER" IN ASIA MINOR. 



By Makgaret E. Fountaine, F.E.S. 



Asia Minor is a part of the world that for some time has had 

 a particular attraction for me ; in fact, ever since I visited the 

 Natural History Museum at Athens, some three years ago, and 

 found that I was almost invariably informed by Herr Kruper, in 

 reply to any exclamation of admiration on my part over some 

 special insect I saw in the collections there : " Das ist von Klein 

 Asien bekommen ! " But the accounts I received of this " happy 

 hmiting-gromid " from those in authority at Constantinople were 

 scarcely encouraging. The British Consul did not hesitate to 

 tell me that the country was not safe, and when I divulged to 

 him some of my plans for the summer, he remarked dryly : 

 " There would need to be an Englishwoman at the back of all 

 that!" 



However, I had made up my mind to risk it. So, on the 

 17th of April, I started for Broussa (a place easily reached by a 

 short sea trip on the placid Sea of Marmara, to Moudania, and 

 from thence in about two hours by train) ; having secured the 

 services of a first-rate courier called Bersa, and with a strong 

 belief in the infallibility of the butterfly-net as a protection, inas- 

 much as its presence to the ignorant and uninitiated natives of 

 these remote regions is generally looked upon as a badge of 

 harmless lunacy, and no one troubles to interfere with a poor 

 lunatic, especially if he is such an apparently harmless one. 



I remained five weeks in this neighbourhood, at a place 

 called Tchekirghe, about three miles to the west of the town of 

 Broussa, which is most beautifully situated at the foot of Mount 

 Olympus. The country was quite lovely, and water was abun- 

 dant, but I was too early for most of the butterflies, and did not 

 get anything special, except Doritis apollimis, some Melitcea 

 I believed to be ardiiinna, Lijccena anteros, and L. semiargus var. 

 bellis — a very distinct form, and quite unlike var. helena from 

 Greece, or var. antiochena from Syria. It was much too early to 

 make the ascent of Mount Olympus, and much as I enjoyed the 

 wonderful beauty of the country, and the eternal songs of the 

 nightingales, about the 20th of May I returned to Constantinople, 

 intending to go on by the next steamer leaving for the Black Sea 

 to Samsoun, en route for Amasia. 



As the result of a letter of introduction Mr. Elwes had given 

 me to Dr. Washburn, the Principal of the Robert College, I now 

 obtained from him another letter of introduction to Dr. Riggs, of 

 the American College at Mersivau. This was, of course, in- 

 valuable to me, and I resolved that I would in consequence first 

 go to Mersivan, and from thence to the much-longed-for Amasia. 



