320 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



individuals, for, as far as our experience went, many species "wliich 

 generally occur did not put in an appearance at all, and, with the 

 exception of such common ones as Xylophasia polyodon, Agrotis nigri- 

 cans and Noctua .vanthographa, those which were observed were present 

 in much smaller numbers than usual. 



Thus the question arises, has the bad weather proved fatal to many 

 insects ? or are they lying over in the pupal state ? This, as in the 

 case of most other sublunary affairs, "time will show." — J. C. F. and 

 H. F. Feyer; The Priory, Chatteris, 6th Oct., 1903. 



Collecting at Chexbres in July, 1903. — Lepidoptera. — Colias 

 edusa, fairly common along line of rail in the valley of the Rhone. 

 C. hyale, only a few seen, one noticed in the vicinity of Bex railway 

 station, July 7th ; another captured in meadow at Brigue, July 13th ; 

 and a third (a female) at Berisal, on the Simplon, July 14th. Pieris 

 cratcegi, fairly common, captured at Gryon, July 7th ; at Chexbres, 

 July 11th ; Brigue, July 13th ; Berisal, July 14th. P. najd, captured 

 one of Alpine var. bryonicE of this species at Berisal, July 14th. 

 Leiicophasia sinapis, common along line of rail in the valley of the 

 Rhone; also at Chexbres, July 11th, 20th, 24th; at St. Nicholas, July 

 22nd, 23rd. Parnassius apullo, two or three seen between St. Nicholas 

 and Viege, along the mountain railway, July 23rd. P. mnemosyne, 

 abundant in hay meadow close to the hotel at Berisal, July 14th. 

 This was the first occasion on which I had ever seen this butterfly 

 alive, and with the kind aid of the son of the vicar of Stoke-on-Trent, 

 who was also staying in the hotel and happened to be an entomologist, 

 I was enabled to capture a good series of the species, including five or 

 six of its dusky var, nebulosus. It is decidedly feebler and slower in 

 flight than its congener P. apollo, and some of the specimens proved 

 rather worn and tattered, which circumstance is not to be wondered at, 

 as the recorded time of its flight is during May and June. It 

 frequently dives down to the roots of the grass if simply covered by 

 the net without getting enclosed in the bag, a habit which I do not 

 recall in P. apollo, and which should be borne in mind by those who 

 wish to obtain this butterfly. I soon learned to distinguish it even 

 at a distance from P. cratcegi, which also occurred in the same field, as 

 the latter insect is noticeably whiter, swifter in flight, and occasionally 

 larger than P. mnemosyne. Several of the specimens of P. mnemosyne 

 which I captured had a portion of the pupa-case still adhering to the 

 lower end of their bodies. Gonepjteryx rhanmi, one seen at St. Nicholas, 

 July 22nd. Satyrns ianira, common at Chexbres and St. Nicholas, 

 S. mcera, fairly common at Chexbres and St. Nicholas and Gryon. 

 S. semele, fairly common at Chexbres and St. Nicholas. Melanargia 

 galatea, very common at Chexbres and St. Nicholas; does not appa- 

 rently disappear so universally as other Swiss species when the grass 

 is mown. Argynnis aglaia, very common, Chexbres, valley of the 

 Rhone, &c. A. pales, a few in direction of Simplon Hospice, July 15th. 

 A. lathonia, three specimens captured, two in the neighbourhood of 

 Chexbres, and one in the direction of Simplon Hospice, July 15th. 

 MelitiEa didyma, four specimens captured at St. Nicholas, July 22nd. 

 M. amathusia, one captured at St. Nicholas, July 22nd. Chrysophanus 

 chryseis, one captured at Berisal and another at Gryon. C. virgaxirea. 



