288 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



gorge there are here and there a number of ash trees. The 

 undergrowth consists of several species of Rhamnus, the curious 

 Ephedra nebrodensis, Pistachio, terebinthus, Artemisia fructicosa, 

 and a great number of species of spiny leguminous plants and 

 shrubs ; the most singular of these was a shrub entirely without 

 visible stem, and consisting of a bundle of stout spines one or 

 two inches long, between each of which protruded a most lovely 

 mauve, papilionaceous blossom. The whole shrub, which was 

 found chiefly on the summits of the hills, was a mass of brilliant 

 colour. One of the most abundant plants was the common 

 Mediterranean asphodel, which threw up spikes of bloom 3 or 

 4 ft. high, and which was a very picturesque object. A plant which 

 carpeted the ground in places with its delicate pink blossoms was 

 a small species of Malta, beloved of many species of butterflies. 



Another brilliant plant which grew in patches here and 

 there was a species of Linum, with vivid blue flowers quite an 

 inch in diameter. The flora is strikingly African in character. 

 Springs of water are very infrequent, and except where irrigated 

 the whole region is very dry and sterile. 



Our collecting was principally in the Guadalavier valley or 

 gorge below the town. The first, two miles or so of this consist 

 of a wide valley known locally as Valdovecar ; the road runs 

 down the centre, and has on the right the river and much fertile 

 irrigated ground. On the left of the road are unenclosed corn- 

 fields, which extend up the hillsides at intervals. These cornfields 

 are the haunts of Zegris eupheme var. meridionalis, Euchloe 

 euphenoides, Anthocharis belia, &c. Two kilometres below the 

 town, between the road and the river, was a series of sainfoin 

 fields, which during the earlier period of our visit was a gather- 

 ing place of almost all the lepidoptera we could find in the 

 district ; amongst these were Zegris var. meridionalis, Euchloe 

 euphenoides, Agriades thersites, Cupido sebrus, Lampides boeticus, 

 L. telicanus, and Noiniades cyllarus. Below these fields the 

 valley narrows and becomes' a gorge, with only just room for 

 the river and the road. In the first two kilometres of this gorge 

 very little is to be found, but after this, at a place called Santa 

 Croche, just where an old castle is seen perched upon a crag on 

 the' left, matters improve ; and from here onwards for several 

 miles the lower slopes of the gorge and the cross ravines consti- 

 tute probably the best ground for butterflies in the whole district, 

 and are certainly the headquarters of such local species as 

 Melitaea desfontainii, Rusticus zephyrus var. hesperica, and later 

 in the season Satyrus prieuri. There is a wide valley leading 

 out of the main valley, the first one on the left below Albarracin, 

 which is known locally as the Vega. In early summer, and 

 later on also, this is good ground ; here we first found Melanargia 

 ines in some numbers. 



We of course made several visits to the hill district on the 



