BUTTERFLY HUNT IN SOME PARTS OF FRANCE. 307 



lineola and Augiades sylvanus, were well to the fore. At this 

 early date the apparition of Satyrus circe and S. hermione — the 

 former in the ascendant — was something of a surprise ; nor can 

 I find from my field- notes that in all our subsequent wanderings 

 we encountered this magnificent Satyrid again. But by this 

 time it was noon, and still we had not arrived at the village of 

 Puymoyen, from which we presently passed to the chalk hills 

 sloping gently towards the lovely valley, well designated Eaux 

 Claires, for it was there at the coldest of streams, bubbling out 

 from a fern- wreathed " source," that we quenched our thirst and 

 took our dejeuner. Hard by we had feasted our eyes on the last of 

 the spring Gonepteryx cleopatra, and boxed a few richly coloured 

 females of Melitaa didyma ; occasional Everes (argiades) amyntas 

 further kept our nets busy, and here also, though we took 

 several of the desired coelestis, they were in such forlorn condition 

 that we gladly gave them their liberty. I may say too that, 

 although we were of course too early for it, LyccEna euphemus 

 is a speciality of this valley, while, had we but known it, on 

 the other side, across the scented hay-fields where the peasants 

 were carting their first rich crops, but a low line of hills divided 

 us from the much-discussed forest of Livernant. We devoted 

 the rest of the afternoon, however, to questing for coelestis unsuc- 

 cessfully on the chalk-downs on the Puymoyen side, finding a 

 pretty light form of Pararge egeria in the little brook-side copses, 

 and the long green grasses hung with Thymelicus actcton. Here- 

 about also I captured a perfect Pieris manni, chiefly interesting 

 to me as the first from Western France which had fallen to my 

 share. It is, however, common enough in these regions, and 

 up to the north as far as Angers, where M. Delahaye reports and 

 describes it in an interesting monograph on the variation of the 

 species in his Department, Maine-et-Loire.* 



For a single day's experience the following list of species 

 observed and taken is decidedly encouraging. I have also in- 

 cluded, in brackets, the one or two further species met with by 

 M. Charles Oberthiir, and M. Dupuy, of Angouleme, at this 

 particular spot : — 



Adopcea lineola, Augiades sylvanus, Thymelicus actmon ; 

 Hesperia carthami (one very worn example) ; Callophrys rubi 

 (one); Strymon spini, S. ilicis ;\ Everes argiades (amyntas); 

 Cupido minimus ; Rusticus argus, L. (= agon, Schiff.) ; Agriades 

 thetis (and ab. $ coelestis), [A. corydon ab. syngrapha] ; Polyom- 

 matus icarus ; LyccBua arion, [L. euphemus] ; Aporia cratcegi, 

 Pieris manni; Colias edusa, C. hyale; Gonepteryx cleopatra, 

 Argynnis aglaia; Brenthis dia, B. euphrosyne (one) ; Melitcea 



■■'- ' La Pieris Manni en Maine-et-Loire. Principaux Caracteres de la 

 Race angevine.' D. Delahaye. Angers, J. Siraudeau. Dec. 1910. 



t M. Dupuy informs me [in litt.) that Chrysophanus alciphron var. 

 gordius comes as far north on this side of France as Angouleme. 



2 a2 



