19 



I made the usual "good resolution" that I would bring back none 

 of them, but I found more than a dozen picked specimens in my 

 envelopes. Pararge mcera^ the near relative of our P. megcera, was 

 going over; most examples were dark, and the undersides were dull, 

 showing nothing of the beautiful soft, silvery grey of specimens sent 

 me by Mr. Harrison from the Bernese Oberland in 1907. Only 

 two other Satyrids were noted, Ccenonympha painphilus and C. 

 satyrioii, both considerably worn, the former species having very 

 dusky undersides. Here occurred the only specimen of Colias hyale 

 seen during the three weeks ; it was a somewhat damaged male, but 

 rather noticeable as having very large discoidals on the fore-wings, 

 and only a mere trace of black marginal markings on the hind-wings, 

 with a corresponding shortage of black on the fore-wings. The 

 Brenthids were B. amathusia and B. pales, the specimens of the 

 former species somewhat small. 



A large and most beautiful bed of wild thyme and other flowers 

 drew me from the rough path to the uncultivated boulder-strewn 

 slopes, and during the short time the sun was in position to light 

 the spot I revelled in the sight. Among the varied and abundant 

 assortment, one of the most conspicuously in evidence was that 

 brilliant "copper," '^ Heodes virgaiirece." All were in good trim, 

 and some specimens had two or three black spots across the disc of 

 the fore-wings (van miegii), but, as is usual in the Alps, not so pro- 

 nounced as the forms Dr. Chapman has shown us from the Spanish 

 Meseta. The females were only just emerging — not the usual 

 copper-coloured forms with black blotches, but the var. zermattensis, 

 very dusky in ground colour, with suppression of all the coppery colour. 

 In some of the males there seemed a tendency for the black sub- 

 marginal spots on the hind-wings t > stand away from the black 

 margin, instead of running into it. Numbers of LyccEna arioii were 

 observed, all of the dusky form, var. obscura. I believe that it is 

 rarely that the type form occurs above 3000 ft. in the Alps. A very 

 nice female of Polyonnnatus icarus was captured here. The spotting of 

 the underside was emphasised ; the discoidals on all four wings were 

 very large ; the submarginal spots were somewhat elongated ; the spot 

 nearest the inner margin was united by a wide, curved, black continua- 

 tion, joining with the S[)ot in the centre of the inner margin. At 

 first it suggested itself as P. escheri ; but in the field one is often apt 

 to confuse closely allied species. Cupido minimus was very worn — 

 of course, the first brood. At Winchester the English first brood 

 was well out in mid-June. Probably at this elevation there would 

 be no second appearance. Only one representative of a species I 

 much wanted, Aricia eionedon, fell to the net ; while, although 

 numbers of Albitlina phe^-etes were seen, not a specimen worth 

 keeping could be obtained. In a short time at least a dozen 

 species of butterflies were obtainable, and that in late afternoon, 

 besides plenty of Heterocera ; among them not the least conspicuous 

 were several species of Anthrocera. Many things were neglected, 



