SIX WEEKS AMONGST HUNGARIAN BUTTERFLIES. 249 



On making known that we wished to see the Museum collec- 

 tion of Hungarian butterflies, we were most kindly welcomed by 

 Dr. Soos, and introduced to Professor Schmidt, who was in 

 charge of the insect department. To this gentleman we are 

 deeply indebted for his great kindness to us during our stay at 

 Budapest, for during that time he placed himself and his know- 

 ledge entirely at our disposal, acquainting us with the best 

 localities for the species we wished to get, and accompanying 

 us there, interpreting, and assisting us in every possible 

 manner. This assistance was exceptionally valuable, for Buda- 

 pest is a most difficult district to work, primarily because all the 

 best localities are at some distance, and also because there does 

 not appear to exist a suitable map of the environs. 



On the 1st of June we accompanied Professor Schmidt to 

 Kamaraerdo, our chief object being to obtain series of the two 

 local species of Chri/sophaniis found in the Danube marshes, 

 C. dispar var. rutilus, and C. thersamon. To my note on the 

 former species (see ' Entomologist,' antea, pp. 219-220) I will 

 only add that on this day I captured twelve 'males and three 

 females, most of them in perfect condition. Of C. thersamon I 

 obtained eleven males and one female, all in good order. 

 C. tliersamon, unlike C. var. rutilus, frequents flowers, chiefly 

 those of Salvia pratensis, settling on them and exposing its bril- 

 liant upper side to catch the warmth of the sun. Great quantities 

 of Aporia cratagi were flying everywhere, and some of the assem- 

 blies congregated on the damp patches on the road were enor- 

 mous, and must have consisted of several hundred individuals. 



The country collected over was a valley extending from 

 Kamaraerdo station to the village of Promontor, some three 

 miles distant, and from which electric trams conveyed us to the 

 foot of the Franz Josef Bridge at Budapest ; as a matter of fact, 

 after our first journey we travelled by tram, which we found 

 much quicker and more convenient than by taking the train. 



On a subsequent visit to this locality (June 4th), Professor 

 Schmidt being unable to accompany us, Dr. Soos most kindly 

 acted as our chaperon. This was very desirable and probably 

 saved us some unpleasantness, for the butterflies were on 

 cultivated ground, the owners of" which I understand have been 

 known to object strongly to strangers wandering amongst their 

 crops, but the Museum authorities can go anywhere. On this 

 occasion Chrysophanus var. rutilus was abundant, and my bag of 

 twenty-three examples included half a dozen females. I also 

 captured a fair example of Thais polyxena, and saw a few small 

 larvae of that species on the food-plant, Aristolochia clematitis. 

 Argynnis niohe var. eris was just coming out. Chrysophanus 

 thersamon was by this date practically over, and all the examples 

 observed were hopeless as cabinet specimens. 



On the 6th of June we again visited the marsh ; but the day 



