228 THE entomologist's recoed. 



disturbed in its repose by the rush of the passing dihgence. SaUjrua 

 alcyone, deep-coloured Gonepteryx rhainni, swift-flying ('alias Jujale and 

 C. ediisa, Melanaryia [lalathea, not in the best condition, Epinepliele 

 lycaon and apparently Erehia liyea, are all noted in abundance before 

 La Maison du Eoi is reached, and already it is quite evident that 

 Polyommatus damon is to be the "blue" of the valley, as, indeed, it 

 afterwards proved to be, occurring in countless thousands in both sexes 

 everyAvhere. It appears impossible to name the Fritillaries as one 

 passes them, but one is certain of the road-loving Aryynuis lathoiiia, 

 that fans its wings so delightfully, Dryas papJiia, Aryyiinis adippe and 

 A. aylaia, as also the bright-tinted males of Melitaea didyma,\Yh\lst the 

 females of the latter are evidently exceedingly variable. Parnassius 

 apollo, too, very large fellows, come lazily flying down, and swift-winged 

 Pieris daplidice cannot be mistaken, nor can large full-coloured Papilio 

 machaon; the skippers of the valley are evidently Thymelicus lineola, 

 Pampldla comma and Syrkhthm alveus, whilst S. sao is worn and 

 evidently over. La Maison du Eoi is an inn apparently exceedingly 

 well placed for working the nearer end of the valley, and in a most pictur- 

 esque position, and here we might add that the valley would be a perfect 

 paradise for the photographer. Our great regret, however, is that we 

 were not sufficiently well-versed in geology to unravel the many 

 geological problems presented by the valley, and there were many times 

 when we would have given much to have had a really good geologist 

 for a companion. The inn, La Maison du Eoi, does not look, however, 

 especially inviting, although one knows from experience that many 

 alpine inns are much more comfortable inside than their outward 

 appearance would lead one to suspect. 



We have said before that the valley is full of insects — Orthoptera, 

 Lepidoptera, and in particular Diptera, some of which can, on 

 occasion, bite most furiously, and a friend's satisfying description, 

 "beautiful beast," was frequently indulged in as one squeezed the 

 life out of a persistent green-eyed gad-fly, with the greatest satisfaction. 

 Our journey up the valley in the afternoon and evening, 4 p.m. -10 p.m., 

 and our journey down in the morning, 8a.m.-l p.m., proved to the hilt 

 that the statement was literally true, but what insects these wild and 

 romantic valleys really hide we do not know, dozens of species of 

 Ehopaloceramust be hidden in the sequestered nooks that one sees every- 

 where, and these, only a prolonged stay or previous knoAvledge is likely 

 to discover. All we can say is that the ground is wild, rough, and 

 almost everywhere uncultivated, and that Chateau Queyras would 

 appear to be a really good centre for the middle part of the valley. 

 There is one remarkable village between Chateau Queyras and 

 Abries, called Aiguilles. Everyone knows the squalid and unsavoury 

 nature of the average cottage of an alpine village. Here, side by side 

 with cottages of the poorest description, large mansions have been 

 built by natives, who, having emigrated to America, have made a 

 considerable fortune in "cheese," and then returned to their native 

 village, where their money makes them people of importance, and 

 erected themselves those modern dwellings that look so strangely out of 

 place in this little hamlet. At least twenty of these are to be found in 

 this one small village. 



Our centre, as we have said, was Abries, a village 5,085 feet above 

 the sea, and it was here that our walks were taken and our collecting, 



