A "butterfly summer" in ASIA MINOR. 159 



beginning of May. Some were almost typical, others inclined towards 

 the variety, and a good many decidedly belonged to it, though scarcely 

 any quite so much so as those I have (also bred) from the Cedar 

 Mountain in the Lebanon. 



V. io, L. — There were hybernated specimens at Broussa in April, 

 but I did not see it again in the autumn. 



V. antiopa, L. — Rare in the neighbourhood of Amasia. I only 

 caught two, both in the Tschirtschir Valley in June, and saw no 

 others, except a few hybernated specimens in the Kevasdere. 



Fyrameis atalanta, L. — Generally distributed. 



P. cardui, L. — Towards the end of July, when I first got back to 

 Amasia from Tokat, a perfect plague of these insects was swarming 

 everywhere ; there were hundreds and thousands of them, from the top 

 of the Lokman down into the hot valleys below. They were all in 

 perfect condition, and had no doubt been reared on the dwarf yellow 

 thistles, which grew everywhere, by the roadsides, up the valleys, and 

 on the mountains. It was quite a nuisance ; everything else seemed 

 for the moment to be comparatively exterminated by this gigantic 

 visitation of "painted ladies." For three or four days I was quite in 

 despair over them ; then all at once, to my intense relief, they sud- 

 denly disappeared, nothing but a stray specimen here and there was to 

 be seen ; evidently a huge migration had taken place, for which I felt 

 I could not be too thankful. 



Thaleperis ionia, Ev. — The first brood was practically over when I 

 first got to Amasia, but I knew it would come again, so awaited 

 reappearance with hope and patience. Guelly and the Kevasdeve were 

 the two best localities for this most interesting butterfly, and at the 

 end of June it was soon common enough, but difficult to catch, as it 

 generally flew far out of reach, hovering over the upper branches of the 

 Celtis shrubs, which unluckily grew here to the size of big trees. It 

 resembled an Ajxttura in its predilection for one special twig, to which, 

 if not seriously alarmed, it would return again atid again with un- 

 erring persistency ; alas, that this favoured twig should so often have 

 been just out of reach of the net. However, I got a very good series 

 of males, though only three females. One of these Bersa caught, 

 settled on me. We were stalking it with great excitement, when 1 felt 

 something suspiciously like a stroke from the "business end" of a 

 butterfly-net across my shoulders, and immediately guessed what had 

 happened. Another I took early in June, and she was evidently a 

 belated specimen belonging to the first brood. I did not see this 

 butterfly at Tokat, though there was plenty of Celtis there. I also 

 searched, even at Amasia, in vain for the larva ; the Celtis trees were 

 too plentiful and too tall. 



Melitcea aurinia var. provincialis, B. — A few specimens, mostly 

 worn, on June 4th, at one particular place on the Lokman, shown to 

 me by Professor Manissajian's old guide. 



M. cinxia, L. — Common at Broussa in May ; it also occurred at 

 Amasia. 



(To be continued.) 



