A BUTTERFLY HUNT IN SOME PARTS OF UNEXPLORED FRANCE. 11 



cloud, SO that I had little hope of achieving much in the way of 

 a bag on the path to the Col Vert — a mountain walk decidedly 

 reminiscent of the green unproductive Piombs of Cantal, de- 

 scribed by me in the 'Entomologist' (vol. xlii. p. 266), the 

 similarity being heightened by the clumps of golden Genista 

 sagittalis — a food-plant by the way of Nomiades cyllarus, as 

 M. Kehfous tells us.* The presence of innumerable herds also 

 warned me of what I might expect, and the few butterflies met 

 with, chiefly Coenonympha pamphilus and Cupido minimus, were 

 actually kicked out of the herbage. Waking next morning to 

 the same depressing weather conditions, I took advantage of the 

 motor for Pont-en-Koyans, which makes the tour of the Gorges, 

 and after an interesting and exciting journey found the sun 

 shining brightly upon the most picturesque of riverside towns. 

 Thence the road mounts by the Petits Goulets to the Grands 

 Goulets, and on to Baraques, where I spent the rest of this and 

 the succeeding day with decidedly better results. Here there is 

 plenty of excellent collecting ground towards the northern 

 entrance to the Gorges, as well as between Baraques and La 

 Chapelle-en-Vercors, whither I was bound; and I only regret 

 that time prevented my making a longer stay, and that I had 

 not been able to include Pont-en-Koyans itself in the plan of 

 campaign. Agriades corydon males were flying on the dusty road 

 outside Pont-en-Ptoyans, and Parnassius apollo was soon in 

 evidence ; S. cordula and E. stygne common at the gates of the 

 Grands Goulets in the Vallee d'Echevis on the 5th and 

 most of the 6th under a hot sun. Both Thecla ilicis and 

 2\ spini pervaded the low sloe-bushes, with decidedly passees 

 P. podalirius females evidently ovipositing, and rather worn 

 occasional Limenitis Camilla. Coenonympha arcania, Aphantopiis 

 hyperanthus, Pararge megara, and Melanargia galatea, were all 

 common and fresh ; the first perfect males of Satyrus herniione 

 basked on the warm rocks and feasted upon the usual dainties ! 

 Brilliant G. rhamni affected the same small coppices by the 

 roadside, and a large tawny-winged butterfliy which flew into my 

 net proved to be a newly emerged male Eiigonia polychloros. 



An even better terrain for butterflies, however, lies about a 

 mile and a half out of Baraques on the road to La Chapelle, my 

 next objective. At this point the mountains descend in easy 

 slopes to the road, and there is an abundance of shrub and flora ; 

 the same red Centaurea, as before mentioned, again proving a 

 most effective lure for many species. Following a cart track up 

 the hill I was soon at work on what should have been a most 

 productive locality if only the sun had obliged. The afternoon 

 was far advanced before it came out at all strongly, and then 

 nearly everything had gone to roost. The morning of the 7th 



* ' Bull. Soc Lepid. Geneve,' vol. ii. fasc. 4, p. 241. 



