THE PYRENEES IN 1920. 9 



master hired a motor to take us up to Gavarnie. It was a weird 

 machine and we agreed that 3 trips at the rate charged would just 

 about pay for the car. It broke down twice on the road and was only 

 persuaded to resume action after much tickling of the carburretter, 

 and as the boy who drove found it neeessary to look at his hands every 

 time he changed gear, we missed the boundary wall which kept us out 

 of the scenery several times by a very slender margin. It was with a 

 sigh of thankfulness that we drew up at the Vignemal Hotel with an 

 added stock of grey hairs. 



Gavarnie is a truly delightful spot and we spent the time until 

 July 16th very happily and wished it could be extended. The famous 

 Cirque we left to the donkey riders, but worked hard to get samples of 

 the entomological treasures of the district and were very fairly success- 

 ful. Our favourite ground was the Val D'Ossue with its tumbled 

 rocks and rushing river of beautiful clear water, but we found the 

 lower part of the valley most productive. Near the entrance Erynnis 

 {Gar char odu's) lavaterae was met with, a small form in good condition, 

 and we managed to take a short series, but the most interesting 

 species in the valley was Melitaed didyma. In the Rhone valley where 

 didyma is sometimes very plentiful, one occasionally meets with the 

 var. alpina, but I have always looked upon it as rather a prize. Here 

 we did not meet with a single normal ? , all being of the var. alpina, 

 ■or more like the description of meridionalis. In my examples from 

 Switzerland and Modane the reddish or sometimes yellowish ground 

 colour shows on both upper and lower wings. The Gavarnie specimens 

 are very varied. In most of them the ground colour is greenish-grey 

 and in one both fore and hindwings are nearly black. Two have blue 

 spots in the lower wings and one has the outer row of black spots 

 extended into streaks. The $ $ have a darker border than most of 

 my Swiss specimens and one has large black blotches on the upper 

 wings. They form a lovely series, but unfortunately the $ 5 were by 

 no means plentiful, and we would sometimes work for an hour without 

 taking one. We only took one Agriaden coridon at Luchon, and the 

 males were only just out when we arrived at Gavarnie, but became 

 plentiful later. We examined a considerable number and with one 

 exception — which is moderately spotted— all were very washed out and 

 feebly marked on the underside. We only took 3 2 ? of a very 

 ordinary brown form. Plebeius aegon {argus) swarmed in the valley 

 and continued plentiful up to about 6000ft., but appeared to be of a 

 very ordinary form. In this valley we also took a few Melitaea 

 dictynna, which are by far the lightest form I have met with of this 

 species. We made several excursions towards the Port de Spain, and 

 on one occasion went over the border but were met by such an icy 

 blast that we were glad to turn our backs to it and get into shelter. 

 On the way up we found a spot for Erebia lefeborei and when there 

 was not a howling wind we managed by patient work to secure a nice 

 little series. Dr. Keynes says that Erebia stygne only crosses the 

 screes or haunts the edges, but on this particular scree this was not 

 the case, as one could watch an insect flying up and down the scree in 

 exactly the same way as lefebvrei, and when at last it came within 

 reach and was netted it would over and over again prove to be stygne 

 and provoke, unparliamentary language. Just before reaching this 

 scree and near the main stream, a lovely brook of clear, cold water 



