BULGARIAN BUTTERFLIES. 67 



for insects but we saw nothing but swarms of A. euphrosyne, a good 

 many E. lif/ea and E. eiiryale, and occasionally a very dark specimen 

 of P. macra (I may here remark that I am extremely puzzled to define 

 F. macra and P. liiera, which I have taken in such variety that I often 

 cannot be certain which is which). At last we reached the frontier 

 gendarmerie post — a little wooden house, beautifully situated just below 

 the tree level ; then we ascended very steeply by a track very much like 

 steep, old-fashioned, attic stairs, winding up and up, till we reached a 

 beautiful open basin, surrounded by rocky mountains, overgrown with 

 creeping pine and juniper. This basin was decidedly moist, if not 

 actually boggy, and very good ground, but of course the clouds began to 

 roll up and the mists to gather. Still we did our best, and got a good 

 many A. pales, some fine red specimens of E. oeme ; E. epiphron (very 

 much tinged with red) some ? specimens having a definite pale patch 

 running from the band of the forewings parallel to the costa, and 

 shading into the dark ground colour about the middle of the wing. 

 Then I was fortunate enough to take an Erebia which greatly puzzled 

 both Mr. Elwes and me, and we almost hoped that it might prove to 

 be a new species. It is, however, stated to be only a local variety 

 (rhodopruds) of E. (jnri/one, with which species the genitalia, as examined 

 by Dr. Staudinger and Mr. Edwards, correspond exactly. 



I append a description of this butterfly, of which we managed to 

 secure six specimens, all males, between July 11th and July 18th. The 

 females were not, probably, then out, and should be looked for a week 

 later. All our specimens were taken in the highest part of the Marica 

 valley, and in the Airandere, which is a valley running parallel to it 

 on the east, at an elevation of 6000ft. or more. Its flight does not 

 resemble that of (/onje, it is a more sluggish insect, and squarer in the 

 wings ; nor does it haunt rocks as uon/one does — we took all our speci- 

 mens amongst the juniper bushes that clothe the stony slopes, near 

 streams or boggy hollows. 



Expanse l-50in. Wings dark brown, with broad, sharply defined, rusty band, 

 crossed by rays on forewings and hindwings, and a very faint rusty patch adjoin- 

 ing the costa of forewing. Two apical eyes, large, Nvhite-pupilled, and conspicuous ; 

 one of my specimens has a third, very minute one. There is also a small eye 

 placed rather below the middle of the rusty band of forewing. In the band of the 

 hindwing are several small white-pupilled eyes. Underside forewing entirely rust 

 colour, with the band of the upperside repeated distinctly in a fainter shade. Eyes 

 as above. Underside hindwdngs dark rusty brown, with two distinctly marked 

 paler bands mottled with grey. Eyes of u^jper side repeated. 



July 12th was very grey, and rain threatened, but we resolved to 

 stay where we were in hopes of more Erebias, and after getting well 

 drenched, Mr. Elwes succeeded in catching one quite fresh, but alas ! 

 a cripple. July 13th the weather was even worse, so we moved on, 

 and crossing the pass at the head of the Marica by a very rough path, 

 (where one of our baggage ponies tumbled down), got into Turkish 

 territory, and rode for about four miles along high mountain pastures, 

 with occasional snowbeds still lingering in the hollows, to the head of 

 the Airandere. Here we recrossed into Bulgaria, and descending 

 another very steep track we got down into another narrow granite 

 valley parallel to that of the Marica, and exactly like it. It all looked 

 good collecting ground, but the day was hopeless, it poured steadily, 

 and we pitched our very damp tents by the frontier gendarmerie post, 

 about three hours' ride down the valley, and above the tree level. Next 



