25 



the scattered trees and on the slopes of the Findelen valley, Aporia 

 craUegi was taken. P. apollo was noted again, a few E. euryale, and 

 one specimen of B. euphrosyne, worn, were captured. Time was 

 flying fast, and with a very long walk ahead but little else was 

 noted. Plebeins argy7-ognomon was taken, and the Geometer Larentia 

 ccesiata. 



After many windings and " how much further's ? " we came out in 

 the Zermatt valley, below the Findelen railway bridge. Two paths ! 

 Which shall we take? Ask this lady and gentleman, sitting by the 

 side of the rushing little torrent, and try English on them. It works : 

 they are English. The gentleman turns questioner, and almost 

 takes my breath away, for he asks me if I know the South London 

 Society ? Once again we find the world is very small. The lady 

 was the daughter of our old friend Mr. West, of Ashtead, with her 

 husband. We took the alternative track, which turned out to be not 

 a path, but we reached the village safely. 



'Twas the evening of August ist, the day of the National Fete 

 of Switzerland, and the place was full to repletion of visitors. What a 

 sight ! In this narrow alpine street one hears all the civilised languages 

 of the world. There were to be fireworks and music. The mountains 

 in all directions were lit with fire ; the illuminations were marvellous 

 for a spot so remote from the ordinary run of life. The graveyard 

 of the English church was the firework ground, and grand was the 

 display ; but your entomologist bitterly thought of the morrow. Full 

 well he knew what a series of deafening explosions meant to him 

 most probably. How well the Swiss play up to the foreigner ! The 

 "Marseillaise," the " Star-Spangled Banner," the "Watch by the 

 Rhine," but first of all "God Save the King" met our ears. Un- 

 fortunately, the English anthem had lost its time, and was given at 

 the Old Hundredth rate ; to our critical ears the whole thing was 

 spoiled. A subsequent visit to a house of " restoration " finished up 

 this day of days, and we anxiously hoped for the morrow. 



As we anticipated, the fine weather broke up, and the last two 

 days of our stay were stormy, and one could not go far. Still, the 

 sun did shine brilliantly after the thunder, and in ten minutes the 

 Erebias were flying, and soon the rest appeared. Even the grass 

 was dry in an hour, and the mud was changing fast to dust, so 

 rapidly do changes take place in these elevated spots A walk on 

 the rough slopes below the entrance to the Trift Gorge in the 

 fitful sun produces little that is fresh. Two species of Plume-moth, 

 one or two Tortrices, a minute form of Cupido minijuus, a female 

 Po/yomffiaius escheri, the only one obtained near Zermatt, and two 

 species of Geometer, which Mr. Prout very kindly identified as 

 Acidalia flaveolaria and Cleogene lutearia, were the sum total of the 

 finds. Later in the day a walk taken along the valley from the 

 village produced plenty of Anthrocerids, especially A. lonicera and 

 A. hippocrepidis. 



The last day of my stay was threatening, and no long outing was 



