54 THE ENTOMOLOGIST’S RECORD. 
the Simplon Hospice, 7.e., from 5,000 to 6,000 feet. On the 21st 
Lycaena arion appeared, and H. virgaureae increased during the week 
until it equalled var. gordius in numbers, the females emerging on the 
26th. The males seemed to fly most about one o’clock, and on the 
28th I took thirteen splendid specimens, fresh from the pupa. A single 
worn Lycaena iolas turned up on the 29th, probably a wanderer from 
its district across the Rhone. The 80th, the hottest day I can remem- 
ber in the Rhone valley, was marked by a great falling off in the 
number of butterflies. They seem to rest during excessive heat under 
the leaves, except Rumicia phlaeas and Erynnis lavaterae, which ap- 
parently gain greater activity from it. Little of fresh interest was 
noticed during the first week of July, except that the large fritillaries 
became common, and I left the district for six weeks of semi-tropical 
weather, returning to Martigny on August 26th. Its appearance then 
was desolate in the extreme, perfect weather with nothing to be seen 
except a few feeble abortive second broods, small in size, poor in colour, 
and often half crippled in the wings, left behind by the gaudy crowd of 
June as caretakers of this magnificent collecting ground. Three 
Limenitis camilla were noted, abnormally small, just able to fly, a 
second brood of Melitaea didyma, about the size of M. aurelia, with a 
few Brenthis dia. Pararge maera was the size of hiera, and not 
unlike it. 
In the fields behind Martigny Colias edusa and Agriades thetis 
(adonis) and Polyommatus icarus (alewis) were still flying in some abun- 
dance on late crops of mowing grass, and Loweia dorilis and Rumicia 
phlaeas, the latter a very fine dark form, could be taken on flowers of 
the mint. Owing to the excessive heat, these species used to fly from 
4 p.m., when the sun sank behind the Plan Cerisier, till six o’clock in 
the shade, 
The season of 1812 was marked by broken weather and a distinct 
falling off in the numbers of Lepidoptera, but varieties were much 
more common, especially in var. gordius, also several species fresh to 
my knowledge of the cliff walk put in an appearance. LHveres alcetas, 
which I had not seen nearer than Branson, Scolitantides orton from the 
same district, Cupido sebrus, Melitaea deione var. berisalensis, Hrebia 
medusa, and Hrynnis althaeae. Cyclopides palaemon was also a surprise, 
as I had not taken it nearer than St. Triphon and Aigle. The follow- 
ing species also appeared here and there which had only occurred 
singly before: Plebeius aegon, Polyommatus semiargus, Glaucopsyche 
cyllarus, Aricia eumedon, and Celastrina argiolus. Collecting in 1912 
was from May 25th to June 19th. 
But if the season of 1912 was broken weather, that of 1913 was 
the most unbroken period of settled Swiss weather at its very worst 
that I ever experienced. From April 29th to the 20th of July there 
were not two fine days together, and during the stay at Martigny until 
the 81st of May, the place was swept by an evil blast from the Grand 
St. Bernard, to say nothing of the afternoon Rhone valley wind. This 
continued with intervals of heavy rain for three weeks, then came dust 
storms at Brigue, with gales from the Simplon, ten days’ rain at Bex, 
much worse rain at Wesen, and lastly I was driven down from Pontre- 
sina on the 26th of July by a twelve hours’ thunderstorm with six 
inches of snow, a region which boasts a climate of nine months’ 
winter and three months’ cold weather. 
