326 THE entomologist's kecord. 



July. It is present all over the district ; I took one excellent one at 

 Orta, it is abundant in the Val Anzasca and Val Strona, and, on the 

 Simplon route, I have found it all the Avay from below Crevola, directly 

 the road begins to rise from the plain, up to Varzo. It very rarely, 

 however, flies over the roads as do other blues, and never, that I observed, 

 suns itself on the patches of moisture with Xoiiiiades seiniargus and the 

 rest. To obtain it, it is necessary to ascend to the little flowery plat- 

 forms which always line the sides of the rocks above the carriage way. 

 P. haton, one only of this little beauty was obtained at Orta, near the rail- 

 way. On this same ground P. bellan/ns was plentiful (the males generally 

 with Avell-marked black dots on upper side of underwings, not so usual 

 in Ehone valley) the female — with a few ab. ceronus — was quite as com- 

 mon as the male, Plebeius aet/on, and later P. argus, the latter having 

 remarkably dark undersides, and large metallic spots, many of the 

 females being specially noticeable. The males of P. aci/on, in early 

 May, on the Sacro Monte, were very fine, rich in colour, very deeply 

 bordered with black, throwing into bold relief the white fringe — and, on 

 the underside, bases well powdered with blue — the orange band of the 

 hindwings broad and brilliant, but never continued more faintly on the 

 primaries as in most specimens of P. argus, its place on the upper 

 wing (underside) being taken by a smoky sufl'usion. P. astrarche was 

 common and with very pronounced red borders not the allous-like 

 form so common in Switzerland. Komiades cgllarus was scarce, and 

 in fine condition at Orta during the first few days of our stay — in all I 

 took four males and three females, and one of the latter in Val Strona — 

 Poh/nmijiatiis icarus showed no pronounced peculiarity, unless it was 

 that it was not obtrusively common, the females were generally of the 

 brown tone Avith very strongly defined red bands on both wings, some- 

 times Avell powdered with blue at the base, but this colour did not spread 

 over the Avhole surface, as is generally the case here in Guernsey, 

 especially in the autumn brood, after the manner of P. ab. ceronus. 

 Nomiades semiargus was not so common, as it probably would be later in 

 the season, but was large and very fine in colour. P. corydon was to be 

 taken at Crevola on June 6th, whilst Cganiris argiolus was common all 

 round, and Ctqndu minima at Varallo and Orta. Among the coppers, 

 we had abundance of CJirgsophaniis dorilis — of the very finest — the 

 females very yellow and clear in markings and colouring above and below, 

 so different from my Aigie specimens that I thought I had got some- 

 thing neAV. C. pMacas AA^as present in fair numbers but in the 

 commonest forms, although occasionally I took a magnificent female Avith 

 a great increase of the caudation of the hindAA'ings, and much suffused 

 Avith black, approaching A^ar. elots. (J. aldiilivon var. gnirlius Avas just 

 appearing as we left, in the Strona Valley. With the Theclids I had 

 no luck, only very fine specimens of Calloplirys ruhi appearing. Most 

 of these had the white spots of the underside very slightly represented. 



Erycinides. — Newcobins liicina, the size and rich colouring of some 

 specimens obtained at Pettenasco, on June 5th, surpass anything in my 

 experience of the species, the largest being just one and a half inches 

 across. 



Papilionides. — Papilio pudalirias AA^as very ragged on our arriA^al, 

 as also P. machann, of the latter a neAV brood began to appear at the 

 beginning of June, but not var. aitrantiaca, of Avhich I had vainly 

 dreamed ! Faniassius apollu appeared of course in due season, and P. 



