222 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



however, determined to investigate the point on the first oi;)por- 

 tiinity. This opportunity arrived this summer, when I observed 

 L. orhitulus at several Swiss stations, and at Arolla met with it 

 in sufficient numbers to enable me to follow the matter up. In 

 none of these localities could I find any Androsace vitaliana ; it 

 was therefore evident that the food-plant of the butterfly in 

 these localities must be some other species. The butterflies 

 were not plentiful or the weather favourable enough to make the 

 investigation an easy one, and I had to spend a whole day and 

 portions of several others before I could satisfy myself as to the 

 correct solution. In fact, I did not succeed in seeing one 

 specimen lay an egg, but I found the females of orhitulus were 

 alwajs attracted to, and paid special attention to, one plant, 

 and on one occasion, and perhaps on a second, an egg appeared 

 about to be laid, but actually it was not done. The plant proved 

 to be Soldanella alpina. Butterflies in captivity laid freely on 

 this, and the young larvse now hatched eat it readily. 



It is no doubt a fact well known to botanists, but to me it 

 was quite a discovery to find that Soldanella alpina was an 

 abundant plant over large tracts of the alpine pastures between 

 6000 and 8000 ft., forming quite. an appreciable portion of the 

 herbage. The ordinary tourist, from whom botanically the 

 average entomologist can hardly be differentiated, looks on 

 Soldanella as only occurring at very high elevations (8000 to 

 9000 ft.), and near to snow, and then rather sparingly. This is 

 true, however, only of plants in flower in high summer, say 

 July ; I must confess to having had some such ideas. 



The plants at lower elevations must flower very early. Not 

 only the flowers, but also the fruits (if any), had disappeared in 

 the haunts of orbitiUus at the end of July. 



Soldanella alpina is therefore the food-plant of L. orhitulus 

 at many, if not a majority, of its habitats. On the Soldandla, 

 as on the Androsace, the larva lives on the leaves and not on 

 the flowers ; though assuming, as seems probable, that it hyber- 

 nates half-grown and feeds up in the spring, it may at that time 

 attack the young inflorescence. 



Unfortunately both my plants and larvae have suffered by 

 the unavoidable ill-usage of travel, and I much doubt if my 

 material will enable me to carry the life- history further than I 

 did last year. 



Soldanella, like Androsace, belongs to the Primulaceae, so that 

 it seems very probable that L. orhitulus may also feed on some 

 other plants of that order, Androsaces or alpine Auriculas. 

 Both plants have thick fleshy leaves, and the larva bores into 

 these and scoops out the parenchyma through a small hole, 

 much as a Coleophora would do, or as the flower-buds are treated 

 by the young larvfe of argiolus, hcetica, and other flower-eating 

 Lycfenids. 



Betula, Eeigate : August 16th, 1909. 



