THREE WEEKS IN THE HIGHER PYRENEES. 61 



ence of Pyrameis cardui took place. The other Vanessids were 

 scarcely emerged, every nettle-patch being crowded with larvae 

 of Aglais urtica, and on the wet 18th we found a roadside birch 

 towards Gedre on which numbers of the larvae of Euvanessa 

 antiopa were taking a shower-bath, and apparently enjoying 

 themselves vastly. Mr. Warren returned next day, and filled 

 with them a huge tin box commandeered from Madame's kitchen, 

 and I believe the majority of the brood should now be qualifying 

 for " white-bordered " British " Camberwell Beauties " this 

 spring, after hybernation in the comfortable thatches of mid- 

 Buckinghamshire. I do not remember having noted the species 

 in the mountains elsewhere feeding on birch ; as a rule it pre- 

 fers various kinds of willow. From the 25th onward to the 

 30th, when I left for Bordeaux, the weather was extremely 

 unsettled, and nearly all the butterflies met with were becoming 

 worn, after what was, certainly, in most cases, a remarkably 

 short period of flight. I may add also that the usually com- 

 mon Pierids were quite rare, while I took but a single Pontia 

 callidice on the Astazou side of the Cirque, Parnassius apollo 

 being only occasional where formerly it was present in large 

 numbers. Earlier in the year a very fine form of Anthocharis 

 simplonia haunts the mountains round Gedre ; M. Eondou, when 

 I visited his fine local collection, most generously presented to 

 me a series of males and females. Mr. Warren took a worn 

 example or two at the beginning of our visit. 



Butterflies observed at Gavarnie, July 14th-July 30th. 



Hespkriid^. — Carcharodiis lavaterce, C. althece ; Hesperia 

 carthami, H. alveus, H. serratidcs ; Pyrgiis sao ; Urbicola comma ; 

 Thymelicus actceon. 



Lycjenid^. — Heodes virgaiirece, and var. miegii ; Chryso- 

 phanus hippothoe ; Loiveia alciphron var. gordius ; Rumicia 

 phlcsas ; Lyccena avion ; Cupido minimus ; Nomiades semiargus ; 

 Agriades corydon ; Polyommatus hylas, P. escheri and var. 

 rondoiii* Obthr., P. ei'os, P. pyrenaica ; Alicia medon (a large 

 form) ; Plebeius argus ; Strymon spini. 



Papilionid^. —Parnassius apollo, P. mnemosyne. 



•'• As this form of escheri has been only recently distinguished by M. 

 Oberthlir (Bull. Ent. Soc. Fr. 1906, pp. 57, 58, and Lepid.Comparee, fasc. iv. 

 pp. 216, 217), I think it may interest our collectors to transcribe a short 

 description from the latter work : — 



Male. — Smaller than the type. On the upper side the blue, looked at in 

 full dayhght, shows a light greenish reflection ; under side uniform grey 

 ground colour, with the black spots very small, and the triangular white 

 mark along the marginal border of orange-yellow spots on the hind wing 

 almost wholly wanting. 



Female. — Characterized by blue dusting of the wing bases on the upper 

 side ; the fringes of all four wings entirely white, and not brown with white 

 at the apex as invariable in the type, 



