196 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



ensis." Other insects observed on my first day's walk along the 

 Dourbes Eoad, over the ridge of La Collette and back by the 

 Cemetery, included Carcharodus lavaterce, Pyrgns sao (common), 

 Chrysophanus dorilis, Gupido minima, Nomiades cyllarus (ex- 

 tremely abundant, but quickly going over, though some of the 

 females were still presentable), N. melanops, Polyommatus bellar- 

 gus, with fine " ceronus-Uke " females (if such a term is per- 

 mitted), P. corydon, P. hylas, Rusticus argyrogognomon (rather a 

 fine form), one Thecla spini (just out), Thais medisicaste, Par- 

 nassius apollo, Euchloe euphenoides, Melitcea aurinia with var. 

 provincialis (abundant but passe), M. pha>be, M. cinxia, M. 

 didyma, Polygonia egea (worn), Limenitis Camilla (very common 

 and in most beautiful condition), and Erebia evias. This latter 

 butterfly I found fairly plentiful wherever I went round Digne, 

 its slow flopping flight making it appear to be an easy insect to 

 catch, but it has an irritating way of flying along over some im- 

 possible bit of ground, just out of reach of the collector's net, 

 where it seems to know it is perfectly safe. It was a good deal 

 worn, and in bad condition, though the females were fresh ; on 

 the Dourbes, a week later, I found it quite fresh, and it must 

 emerge a good fortnight later there than it does at Digne. 



On the ridge of the hill behind Le Bleone, I found Anthocharis 

 tagis var. bellezina. It was very local, indeed ; in fact, I only 

 took it in one place right at the top, and it was very far from 

 common ; of the six specimens I took, only three were fresh 

 enough for the cabinet, and the others, being males, were re- 

 leased. Although there were several Anthocharis belia var. 

 ausonia flying in the same place, I found no difficulty in dis- 

 tinguishing bellezina from them on the wing, their extremely 

 small size alone rendering them unlike anything else. I found 

 it a few days later — on the 16th, to be exact — much commoner 

 about half a mile to the west of the little village of Villars, half- 

 way up the Dourbes. Here I was able to take a short series of 

 seven or eight specimens in good order, with two females, and 

 should have got more only they flew very swiftly over an ex- 

 tremely bad bit of ground, where one's only chance of success 

 was to stand still and intercept them as they flew quickly by. 

 The females, which are considerably larger than the males, are 

 much more difficult to distinguish from ausonia, not only when 

 flying, but even when dead I find considerable difficulty in 

 separating the two species to my satisfaction. 



Far and away the best collecting-ground, when I was at Digne, 

 was the Eaux Thermales Valley, and the little lateral valley 

 which runs into it about half-way up. Here I found E. argiades, 

 swarms of P. bellargus in all the glory of first emergence, together 

 with a good many P. corydon and P. hylas, Lyccena arion, a few 

 worn P. baton, Thecla ilicis, with ab. asculi (very abundant after 

 the 15th of June), Colias edusa, C. hyale, Argynnis adippe, 



