94 THE entomologist's record. 



the Hesperids, from Pamphila sylranus to Thymelicus actaeon, were 

 everywhere, though the favourite attraction for this, as for other 

 species, was certainly a tall umbelliferous flower, the usual, but 

 by no means invariable, food-plant of Papilio alexanor. Some- 

 times we would go farther afield on cycles— the Digne cycle is a 

 caution — up the valley of the Bleone, where on June 7th I still found 

 Euchloe euphenoides, the female as well as the male, on the wing, with 

 Lycaena avion and Polyommatus Jiylas, but Everes an/iades var. coretas 

 was practically over, judging from the one broken example I netted, 

 and L. tolas as well. On June 12th a German collector, Mr. Kollmorgen, 

 took L. areas, but I never came across it myself, and the next day L. 

 meleager, in all its first splendour was brought to account, together 

 with a remarkable male P. corydon, in which hardly any trace of the 

 black margins appeared, seemingly a connecting link between the type 

 and the var. albicans of Spain. But the commonest of all insects was 

 Melanaryia yalathea var. procida, high and low, wood and hillside, it 

 occupied every acre of the land. Then Aryynnis daphne put in a wel- 

 come appearance by the Baths, where also I had observed Cyaniris 

 argiolus flying over the clematis. »S'. var. serratulae, and one or two 

 Spilothyrus althaeae further east swelled the number of the skippers, 

 and on the walls outside the town Polyyonia eyea tempted frequent 

 incursions into the vineyards and potato fields. Higher up Aryynnis 

 adippe, a monster representative, with occasional var. cleodoxa, afforded 

 endless opportunities of steeplechasing, and hardly less active on the 

 wing was A. niobe. But, curiously enough, it was only on the last day 

 of my visit that I took the two insects for which I had hitherto looked 

 in vain. I had heard that one of the first places in which Papilio 

 alexanor might be looked for was the valley above the bath establish- 

 ment. Thither on the 18th I accordingly betook myself, and no 

 sooner had I snapped up a couple of males of Coenonympha dor us from 

 the damp footpath, than I saw the glorious Digne swallow-tail almost 

 at my feet on a hawkweed flower. It was the only one I secured, but 

 after leaving I heard from Miss Fovmtaine that it became more 

 or less general as the time went on, and that C. darns was as common 

 as C. arcania. My informant has also been good enough to give me 

 further information with regard to P. alexanor and one or two other of 

 the rarer insects which this year did not appear on the wing until late 

 in June or during July, and I cannot do better than conclude Avith 

 some quotations from her list : — Papilio alexanor : one specimen every 

 day in whatever locality visited ; on July 12th eight, and later, with 

 another net, 32, in the locality where I first took it. Parnassiiis apollo : 

 a very large form on La Collette, towards the end of June ; a little 

 later on Les Dourbes, but not quite so fine. P. mnemosyne : also on 

 Les Dourbes a little earlier. Laesopis roboris : in four distinct localities, 

 but always sparingly and very difficult to get fresh ; it occurred above 

 Villard at close upon 3300ft., and Avas first captured on June 27th. 

 Polyommatus escheri : the females became quite common later in the 

 month. P. admetus var. rippertii : not common this year except on a 

 spot about half way up the Coussons (3500ft.); first observed July 5th. 

 Apatura ilia var. clytie : one only, taken by Mr. Kollmorgen in the 

 streets of Digne, end of June. Erehia styyne : very common on the 

 Coussons and Les Dourbes ; first taken July 5th. Satyrus jidia : in 

 several localities, but never common, and hard to catch ; first seen 



