242 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



the blanks and renew the battered series of those years in my 

 cabinet, I was hardly prepared for the disappointments of the 

 summer of 1907. However, this fact is clear in my experience 

 that even in a bad year, compared with other countries visited, 

 Switzerland easily maintains supremacy in the matter of mere 

 numbers. The old Simplon Boad, now happily deserted by a 

 great part of its travellers, who prefer the half-hour tunnel to 

 the nine hours' diligence route from Brigue to Domodossola, 

 seemed ^prolific enough as far as Berisal. A two days' expedi- 

 tion to Eclepens, while introducing me to a new Switzerland, 

 discovered a sufficiency which I should have reckoned rich had 

 I not been told that the scarcity of butterflies there was pheno- 

 menal ; and this by the tried collectors who have worked the 

 locality, of whom I was fortunate enough to encounter on the 

 spot, the Bev. F. E. Lowe and Mr. G. 0. Sloper. 



Eclepens lies midway between Vallorbes and Lausanne, and 

 may be reached from either, detraining in the first case at Le 

 Sarraz, or at the station which bears its name, on the Yverdon- 

 Lausanne Bailway. Mr. Lowe and Mr. Wheeler have given 

 elsewhere some account of its treasures in a good year. As far 

 as species go, I found most of the things mentioned by them ; 

 and Mr. Keed, of Tunbridge Wells, had apparently been more 

 fortunate with those I overlooked. Low wooded hills — oak and 

 poplar — offer fine cover for the Apaturids. In the open ground 

 a fine thickly scaled creamy form of Parnassius apollo (= var. 

 pseudonomion, Christ.) was making its appearance on July 13th, 

 where also on the lower bushes of blackthorn and privet 

 Thecla prani and T. ilicis occurred singly. In the glades 

 Limenitis sibylla was not uncommon ; and here also, for the 

 first time, I found Pararge achine in good order and frequent. 

 Following Mr. Wheeler's directions, I wound up a short day's 

 work with a visit to the marsh on the Sarraz Eoad. But 

 it was this year practically drawn blank, only a few Melitcea 

 dictynna falling under observation, though I did capture one or 

 two Lyccsna areas, but these far too worn to require a box. All 

 my time this day was spent on the left-hand side of the railroad 

 from Lausanne to Yverdon ; on the 14th I devoted my attention 

 entirely to the woodlands and hills^on the right, and with con- 

 siderably better results. Leaving Eclepens Station, a field road 

 diverges from the main about a quarter of a mile to the east, 

 leading up the hill, then through some promising copse-land, 

 and past a large farmhouse, skirting the forest which is famous 

 for its "Emperors." L. sibylla and P. achine were again to the 

 fore, with Euvanessa polychloros freshly emerged ; while far out 

 of reach as yet soared Apatura iris in company with A. ilia. 

 However, where a tiny brook had splashed the path and made 

 congenial mire, I was soon brought to closer quarters with these 

 splendid butterflies. Here ilia predominated, and the only one 



