AN ALGERIAN HOLIDAY. 137 



and selling in the native market. The plants and trees in the 

 gardens surrounding the suburban villas and in the public park 

 proved to be of great interest, while a grove of old olives, gnarled 

 and weather-worn, surrounding the tomb of a holy man was 

 very attractive. Early next morning I started for the moun- 

 tains, accompanied by an Arab guide named Mohamet-ben- 

 Hamet.Kenitchou, whom I had picked up in the street, or, 

 rather, who had picked me up, for he attached himself to me and 

 because of his importunities I engaged him. The weather looked 

 more promising and I hoped for great things, but, alas ! my 

 anticipations were again doomed to disappointment. The route 

 first led through olive and fig gardens, above which we came to 

 considerable stretches of arable land, and still higher was a zone 

 of barren ground where grew bracken, asphodel, &c. Soon we 

 entered a region covered with cistuses, hawthorns, genistas, and 

 the scrubby dwarf oaks whose sweet acorns furnish food to the 

 natives, and under their shade I found the mountain daisy {Bellis 

 montana), beautiful tulips of a pretty orange colour, sedums and 

 many other interesting plants. On this broken ground I took, 

 during some brief intervals of sunshine, the few butterflies I 

 caught on my climb. The bright yellow insect flying among the 

 bushes was surely Euchloe eupheno, one of the butterflies I was 

 especially anxious to obtain ! A dash among the oaks and it 

 was secured, and there without doubt was that lovely little Pierid 

 in the net. Another, a female this time, made the pair, taken at 

 Blidah, a spot at which in a decent summer I believe this species 

 is to be found as abundantly as is its near relative E. euphenoides 

 at Vernet. Later on I took another male at Tlem^en, but these 

 were the only three specimens I saw. Anthocharis belia var. 

 ausonia was added to the list, and a few C. arcanioides, three 

 Everes argiades, and some insects of lesser note made up the 

 day's catch. Most of the sport occurred in the neighbourhood 

 of the little hotel known as La Glaciere, where we had lunch, 

 and here I believe very passable quarters may be found. It is 

 apparently an excellent locality, and under better meteorological 

 conditions would repay working. Eesuming the climb we reached 

 the cedar forest, where there are some very fine trees to be seen. 

 Mounting still higher we attained the summit of Abd-el-Kadir, 

 about 5350 ft. above the sea-level. Unfortunately the mountain 

 was enveloped in cloud, but after waiting some time the mists 

 at last divided and we got a glimpse, though only a momentary 

 one, of a glorious landscape, the flat fertile plain stretching 

 right away to the hills on the coast which shut out the view of 

 the sea. On the journey home Mohamet lost his way, and we 

 were wandering about a considerable time before he found his 

 bearings. When we arrived at Blidah he demanded double pay. 

 Had he not missed the path and so gone further than he bargained 

 for, and, besides, had he not worn out his slippers scrambling 



ENTOM. — APRIL, 1911. L 



