IIO ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. {March, ’08 
at about 7000 feet, a little below the limit of timber) and 
thought. We were in between two peaks, Fairview 8875 feet, 
according to the map I had consulted, and Saddle Peak 7900 
feet. Presently Mrs. Nicholl asked, ‘‘ Which of these is the 
most likely peak for astarte?’’ I had been at Laggan before 
and she had not, so I felt bound to give advice. ‘‘ That, I 
fancy,’’ I replied pointing to the top of Fairview, some 1900 
feet above us. I had no idea that she intended going up, for 
the wind was fresh and cold and not a butterfly or moth was 
to be seen moving. We appeared to be too early by a fort- 
night for so high an elevation. However, she wandered off 
in that direction and I still sat and thought. 
About an hour later, z. e., at about midday, I espied her close 
tothesummit. I had now made up my mind that we were wast- 
ing time up in this windswept, belated region, and tried to signal 
her to return to much lower levels. I failed to catch her atten- 
tion, so started off—to fetch her back. I had hardly commenced 
the ascent when I caught a freshly emerged ¢ C. skinnert, that 
species reaching to barely above the timber line, which at Lag- 
gan averages about 7200 feet. I had yet to go within about 
500 feet of the summit when whiz! flash! What was that? 
A red butterfly. Astarte? That cannot have had the temer- 
ity to emerge from the pupa up here already this wintry sea- 
son! Mrs. Nicholl will be interested to hear I have seen some- 
thing reminding me of astarte. I hurried up to the peak. 
The wind had now dropped, or else I had got above it. The 
huge loose rocks with which the mountain top seemed to be 
piled up, caught and reflected the sun’s heat and I seemed to 
have reached a different climate. I soon caught sight of Mrs. 
Nicholl flourishing the net. ‘‘ Hello! Why didn’t you come 
up long ago? Astarte swarms. I’ve been having grand sport 
for the last hour.’’ And sure enough, there they were in 
dozens! But howthey flew! Now dodging around the rocks, 
then whiz! Flash! Over cliff or else straight away out of 
sight as though one had a train to catch, and not another 
chance for a week. Sometimes two or three would meet and 
fly almost vertically upwards, gyrating around one another 
to a height of 50 or roo feet, then separate and descend still 
