THREE WEEKS IN DAUPHINY. 285 



rose-flushed rhododendron, and in delicate contrast the hollows 

 would be alight with the delicate late lilac of the cranesbill, or 

 with golden arnica daisies, deep purple asters, and blue cam- 

 panulas. The cranesbills were especially attractive to males 

 and females alike of C. hippothoe var. euri/hia, and of course to 

 Polyommatus eumedon. Hesperiids were few and far between — 

 Hesperia alveus, H. serratulce, and Pijrgus sao. The Coliads 

 were represented by C. phicomone, which was more common 

 throughout La Grave than E. stygne. 



My other excursions were all on this side of the river. 

 The most interesting and productive was unquestionably that to 

 the Evariste-Chancel hut (7875 ft.), and the woods and pastures 

 on the way to the open treeless grass slopes which constitute the 

 approaches to the neighbourhood of Lac Noir. The walk-up on 

 July 15th was made under a tropical sun, which unfortunately 

 withdrew altogether towards noon when I was on the rocks that 

 encircle the grim lakelet, where, even thus late in the season, 

 the ice was only now breaking up. Added to a cloudy sky, a 

 furious wind began to blow, precursor of the evening's terrific 

 thunderstorm. In the meadows on the outskirts of the lower 

 woods Brenthis ino occurred in some numbers, and it was at a 

 streamlet here that I surprised a dozen freshly emerged male 

 Argynnis aglaia crowded on a patch of sand not larger than my 

 hand. Everywhere from La Grave to the limit of the forest 

 region Parasemia plantaginis was also in great force, but at first 

 I failed to spot the variety hospita, common from about 6500 ft., 

 and even more so at Le Lauteret. From the grass I netted 

 several worn H. malvoides — the first record of this species here- 

 abouts ; and, as soon as I had quitted the larch belt, H. cacalice 

 put in an appearance. The bare mountain-side yielded only 

 occasional ragged females of Pontia callidice, E. gorge, and more 

 abundant E. lappona. B. pales was extremely rare, but the 

 later part of the day was against collecting. I was more 

 fortunate on the 18th when I returned to the same ground below 

 the rocks, and though the wind, which marred all collecting for 

 the next week, never dropped, butterflies were not unplentiful in 

 sheltered places. 



The presence of H. cacalice, of which this day I saw many 

 examples, but could capture few good specimens, had inspired 

 me with hopes of the rare H. andromedce. I had evidently over- 

 looked it on the 15th, for directly I passed the tree line to where 

 a spring of excellent water crosses the path, I encountered 

 several. The males were not worth boxing, being in poor plight; 

 of the females I took three perfect examples, and missed as 

 many more, liberating at least half-a-dozen of both sexes. 

 Some doubt apparently having existed as to the specific identity 

 of these two skippers, I may state that in Dauphiny, at any 

 rate, their habits are quite unlike. Andromeda prefers to 



