A ''butterfly summer" in ASIA MINOR. 107 



there. It is true that I found here the only Erehia I ever saw in 

 Asia Minor, but it was nothing but a fine form of E. (ethiopa, — 

 I suppose var. melusina, which appeared to me to be ahnost 

 typical. I had much hoped to come across Chnjsophaniis thetis, 

 which does not occur at Amasia, but this is an insect which has 

 always evaded me, and at Tokat it did so again. I never saw a 

 sign of it. This place was at least a month behind Amasia, 

 though the difference of altitude was insignificant, but I was told 

 by my hostess (a German lady married to an Armenian) that 

 strong winds blew here constantly throughout the summer, and 

 this year they seemed to have had an unusual amount of rain 

 during the month of June, so perhaps that in some measure 

 accounted for my finding Lj/ccena loewii and L. damone var. 

 cannon still in perfect condition, whereas both these species had 

 been practically over at Amasia before the middle of .June. L. 

 var. menalcas was only just beginning, and L. hopjferi did not 

 appear at all. 



At the end of a week my kind hostess had, I am sorry to say, 

 been taken so seriously ill that I felt myself obliged to leave, so 

 I returned to Amasia to await Satijrus geyeri. I got back in two 

 days ; this time without any adventures. The second day I 

 travelled in company with a Turkish gentleman, who was 

 travelling on a tour of inspection. He had many plans for the 

 future respecting his native country, and was most sanguine 

 that, in a year or two at most, the road from Sivas to Samsoun 

 would be in such an improved condition, and with all the bridges 

 in such a high state of preservation, that a diligence would be 

 able to perform the journey thither in two days, instead of six or 

 seven as at present. May his hopes be realized ; but the 

 Turkish Government is not encouraging to these progressive 

 spirits, who must exist greatly to their own perpetual sorrow and 

 constant mortification when born in Turkey. 



I first caught Sati/rus geyeri, July 25th, on the rock-strewn 

 plateau on the top of the Lokman : here it soon became ex- 

 tremely abundant, and with Bersa's assistance I easily captured 

 altogether from one hundred and fifty to two hundred specimens ; 

 for Bersa had become quite an expert in the use of the net, and 

 collected admirably, also showing some considerable ability in 

 learning to distinguish the different species. One can never be 

 too thankful to have escaped being mixed up with with anything 

 of the nature of a fool ! 



As soon as August was in I could feel that the season was on 

 the wane. The green flowery valleys were now dried up, and 

 full of prickly grass-stalks and seeds ; and the tired earth, no 

 longer throbbing and palpitating with the supreme effort to 

 reproduce, now lay parched and languid beneath the scorching 

 rays of the August sun ; " bad specimens " became all too 

 common amongst the Lycaenidge, the Satyrus, even geyeri, were 



