LEPIDOPTEKA IN THE HAUTES-ALPES : ABEIES. 227 



sprung up. The valley is drained by the Guil, the limpid waters of 

 which, in the river's upper course, present a striking contrast with 

 those of the muddy Ubaye that drains the valley in which Larche and 

 Barcelonette are situated. The valley, so far as we were able to inves- 

 tigate it, SAvarms with insect life, and it is possible that, when attention 

 has been drawn to this delightful spot, some other entomologist with 

 longer leisure will visit the place and supplement our poor list with his 

 captures. We say " poor " advisedly, as, during the time (August 9th- 

 16th) that we were in the valley, we did a great deal of walking and 

 little real collecting. We should say that July would be decidedly a 

 better month than August throughout the valley. 



It may be well, therefore, in view of the possibility of further 

 investigators visiting this beautiful district to point out the route taken. 

 Train to Grenoble {via Lyons or Chambery), where one changes for 

 Veynes, this ride taking one over one of the most remarkable alpine 

 railways of which we know. At Veynes, one changes again for INIont- 

 Dauphin-Guillestre, a few stations short of Briancon, so that the latter 

 part of the route skirts the south-western and southern borders of the 

 Dauphine Alps. Here a diligence meets the train, and a five to six 

 hours' ride up the valley brings one to Abries, where we stayed at the 

 Grand Hotel d'Abries, an excellent establishment from every point of 

 view — new, large, well furnished, comfortable, with all modern sanitary 

 arrangements, and a first-class cuisine. Our surprise at finding this 

 excellent hotel was great, as it was quite unmentioned in the guide 

 books (Baedeker, &c.), although it had been opened three years. 

 Nothing that we could say would be too high praise for the treatment 

 we received whilst here, or the success attained by the proprietor in 

 making his guests thoroughly comfortable. The inns mentioned in 

 Baedeker and Murray appear to be very poor indeed ; by comparison 

 with the Grand Hotel they are quite unthinkable. 



The ride through the valley is something to be remembered. It is 

 indeed a picturesque and romantic drive that will long live in the 

 memory, characterised by its — • 



Deep, deep gorges, where the torrents 

 Breathe their murmurs from the gloom, 

 And the clashing of the Avaters 

 Eises from a hidden tomb. 



One sees in the Alps occasionally some fine canons, but those between 

 Quillestre and the Chateau-Queyras Avould require a lot of beating. 

 The defiles are, both at the entrance of the valley, and again near La 

 Chapelue, of the grandest possible description, only in the former case, 

 the road leads high along the side of the mountain, and one looks 

 down here and there into the bed of the torrent which is often hidden, 

 whilst in the latter case the road runs along by the side of the river, 

 and the almost perpendicular rocks rise on either side of the narrow bed 

 to a height of from 200ft. -300ft., often, however, overhanging 

 considerably and presenting a scene of wild grandeur rarely to be 

 witnessed even in these regions. 



The more open slopes that occur between these defiles are clothed 

 with sweetest scented lavender, and from the blossoms clouds of Erebia 

 ncoridas and Polijommatas escheri take wing, whilst, from the clumps of 

 Eitpatorium, Callimorpha hera takes its stately flight when rudely 



