LEPIDOPTERA AT ALBARRACIN. 287 



would not be at 5000 ft. or upwards. As a matter of fact, 

 reports from Bronchales as late as the middle of June spoke 

 of the ground being covered with snow. Under these circum- 

 stances the dates on which we found the different species must 

 be qualified for reference by the late season. 



The weather generally was, as it usually is in Sunny Spain, 

 magnificent ; bright sun from morning until evening on many 

 days, tempered by a most delicious cooling breeze, and there 

 were only one or two days on which our quarry did not fly. 

 There were, however, days during which the temperature in our 

 sitting-room did not reach more than 53° Fahr., and even on 

 June 2nd it did not exceed 55°. A fortnight later there was a 

 week of broken weather, with heavy thunderstorms accompanied 

 by hail, each day. 



Arriving on May 13th I had to leave on June 21st. My 

 friend, however, was able to remain at Albarracin until 

 June 30th, and I am indebted to him for kindly allowing me 

 to add to my observations the result of his own, both during my 

 stay and after it had come to an end. 



I had expected to see many interesting birds at Albarracin, 

 but in this respect the excursion was somewhat disappointing ; 

 it is true the smaller species, such as warblers, chats, buntings, 

 &c, were abundant in the Guadalavier valley; but the Raptores, 

 which from the nature of the country and the sparseness of the 

 population one would expect to be abundant, were remarkably 

 scarce. There was certainly a magnificent red kite which 

 treated us to its peerless aerial evolutions almost daily, a mile 

 or so below the town, doubtless its eyrie was near by ; and one 

 day near the village of Moscardon two Egyptian vultures were 

 seen. 



Enquiries from Senor Rabinad elicited the fact that the 

 lammergeyer is still occasionally seen in the neighbourhood. 

 Wolves are common in the wilder parts of the sierra, causing 

 great depredations amongst the flocks and herds ; and we 

 learned that several cubs were killed during our visit a few miles 

 from Albarracin, near a place we collected over pretty frequently. 



The prevailing surface rock at Albarracin is calcareous ; this 

 is almost universal in the district, except that on the right bank 

 of the River Guadalavier, immediately below the town and 

 extending some miles back into the hills, there is an outcrop of 

 a silurian formation, surmounted by a very deep red sandstone. 

 On this latter formation at Puerta de la Losilla there is a large 

 pine forest, beneath which is, amongst other plants, an extensive 

 growth of a species of Vaccinium, which I think is V. vitis-idea. 



The prevailing tree in the calcareous country seemed to me 

 to be a species of Cupressus, but Dr. Chapman thinks it is 

 the Savin tree ; there are also Juniperus sabina, in places, 

 considerable quantities of Ilex, and down the Guadalavier 



