BUTTERFLY-HUNTING IN THE BALKANS. 129 



company with a guide, I left the hotel and climbed to a high 

 point called the Placa, spending the day on the mountains. As 

 we passed the castle-like barracks on the hill podalirius was 

 flying, and as the guide anxiously urged me to catch it I did so, 

 but the loss of a tail saved its life. The way led for the most 

 part under the shade of trees, and consequently very little insect 

 life was to be seen, but on a flowery slope two beautiful Polyom- 

 matus meleager proved welcome captures, and on my return a 

 male in good condition was awaiting me on the same spot. A 

 species which I anticipated getting during my Balkan journey 

 was Neptis lucilla, but I saw no sign of it until to-day, when half 

 a dozen specimens, all in rather poor condition, were taken. 

 The species was practically over, and I was very unlucky in 

 missing it while it was in its first beauty. At the highest point 

 of the long day's climb Parnassius mnemosyne, also quite worn 

 out, was flying. Other insects taken were Satyrus hermione, 

 Pieris manni, Melanargia galatea, var. procida, Ghrysophanus 

 hippothoe, Spilothyrus lavaterce, and a Melitcea, which I hoped 

 would prove to be M. dictynnoides, but which the Eev. G. 

 Wheeler, who has very kindly looked through my Balkan 

 Melitseas, believes to be M. athalia. 



The morning of July 10th was devoted to the exploration 

 of a valley on the south-east side of the Narenta, below Jablanica. 

 In the meadows near the bridge which carries the railway over 

 the river G. edusa was flying. The hillsides hereabouts were as 

 bare and lacking in shelter as the previous day's climb had been 

 shady, there being very few trees or bushes. My notes show 

 that the most abundant butterfly was L. sinapis, but the insects 

 which were the most successful in making their presence known 

 were undoubtedly the cicadas which abound in these valleys, 

 and whose stridulations are sometimes almost deafening. I 

 climbed to a ridge where a few young trees were growing, and 

 here 1 found S. hermione in considerable numbers, sitting on the 

 tree trunks, and, when disturbed, flying to a similar resting 

 place a few yards away. P. machaon was racing up and down 

 the mountain slope, but it was too hot to chase it, even if I had 

 wanted to. Zygcena carniolica was common, resting upon the 

 wild sage, and in looking at them I disturbed a butterfly which 

 proved to be a male Epinephele lycaon. The species was 

 evidently just emerging, and I only succeeded in finding two 

 other specimens, all of the same sex. In the afternoon I again 

 visited the railway banks to the north of Jablanica, where I had 

 found C. alciphron and A. daphne so plentiful in June, but 

 everything was now very different. Although the clumps of dwarf 

 elder were still in flower, both butterflies were wanting or only 

 represented by one or two dilapidated specimens. Vegetation in 

 the valley had been burned up by the scorching rays of the 

 midsummer sun, and as there were no lepidoptera to be found I 



