10 



The delicate Leucophasia sinapis was common and not confined 

 to the woods, but flying freely about roadsides and meadows. 



It was a delightful sight to see dozens of males of Colias hyale 

 careering over the fields, but I do not remember seeing a single 

 Colias ediisa. 



Both sexes of Gonepteryx rhamni were common, and rather lazy in 

 habit, spending most of the morning sitting about on honey-bearing 

 flowers. 



Lintenitis sibylla was also common ; but by the middle of August 

 most of them were too worn to capture. In England this species 

 never, I believe, frequents towns, but on the Continent I have several 

 times noticed it in gardens, quite among houses, even in large towns 

 like Lausanne. 



In September Pyrantels atalattta was abundant, but the Thistle 

 Butterfly (Diste/fabter), as the Germans call Pyrantels cardui, was 

 hardly to be seen at any time. Vanessa io might be taken any day, 

 and in one spot, on the border of a wood, there was a large bed, 

 perhaps half an acre, of hemp agrimony mixed with thistles, where 

 these butterflies were in countless numbers. I searched diligently 

 among them for aberrations, but they appeared to be all exactly the 

 same, perfectly typical in shape and colouring, but slightly smaller 

 than the ordinary English specimens. Aglais urtictz could not be 

 called common, and Eugonia poiychloros appeared to be absent. 

 The " Mourning Cloak," Euvanessa antiopa, I have already alluded 

 to. The larvae of Polygonia c-album occurred in the rides of the 

 woods on wild raspberry and also on sallow on which I had hitherto 

 not found it. It had a curious habit of biting through the mid-rib 

 of the sallow leaf so that the apical portion hung over at a right 

 angle, and gave the larva shelter during the heat of the day. The 

 imagines were very common in late August and September. The 

 Argynnids were represented nobly by A. paphia and a few A. adippe. 

 Only one A. lathonia put in an appearance. A. selene was scarce 

 and worn. The Draught-board (Darmenbrett), as the Germans call 

 Melanargia gabafhea, still flew about, but was getting over. In the 

 patches of long grass those beautiful dark, velvety-looking creatures, 

 Erebia cethtops, dwelt, and might be easily taken. Satyrus circc was 

 more often seen than taken. It is truly a noble insect, and loves to 

 fly quite out of reach up and down the rocky slopes in the sunshine. 

 One afternoon, when going up a hot road through a clearing in a 

 wood, I, net in hand, and my son on the donkey, we saw a specimen 

 in the middle of the road. Great was the excitement, in which the 

 donkey also joined when he got pulled up suddenly. The little 

 episode ended well for the Mammalia, but badly for the Arthropod. 



Pararge ntegcera abundant ; often noticed sunning itself on the 

 rocks, while P. egeria was much scarcer. Late one afternoon, when 

 walking out to a neighbouring village, and passing a long row of 

 telegraph poles beside the road, I noticed P. ntegcera at rest on a 

 pole, quite at the base among the grass. On examination it was 



