A NEW PAL/E ARCTIC SPECIES OF THE LYC.EN1N7E. 63 



ascent. A much softer mountain is Capucin (4800 feet) than the 

 Puy de Sancy, for all its dome shaped Pic is green to the summit, with 

 grassy slopes and bilberries and all sorts of low growing plants. Here 

 I took Parnassius dpollo, and the only one I saw during my week's 

 sojourn ; Erebia stygne and E. epiphron, again the only ones of their 

 genus, were not uncommon, Coenonympha pamphilus was also taken 

 and a few Geometers as yet unnamed ; Brenihis evphrosyne was in fine 

 condition and also of considerable size, a few Issoria lathonia occurred 

 and one or two Meliiaea partite nie, whilst A. flavd -(thainiiax) was 

 rather rare. 



On the other side of the valley much the same sort of captures 

 were made, only there, in a stony locality, Pararge maera and its form 

 adrasta were not uncommon, perhaps the adrasta is scarcely typical, 

 but it belongs to that race rather than to the parent stcck. A single 

 Aphantopus hyperantus was taken on this side of the valley. The 

 Hesperiids were, however, very scarce, only three Augiades sylranus 

 fell to my net and but one Hesperid fritillum race ciraii and one H. 

 malvae. Of Noctuae I took but two, Eitciidia alyphica on the wing 

 and a beautiful black Noctuid, as yet unnamed, at rest close by the 

 grand cascade. Perhaps I ought also to record a single specimen of 

 Crambus digitellus on the Puy de Sancy. 



The extraordinary paucity of species is worthy of note, there was 

 almost a complete absence of the Plebeiinae and Polyotnmatinae, for I 

 only took two specimens, both of which attracted my attention by 

 their extraordinary appearance, they were evidently blues, but what ? 

 They had no colour at all and when I boxed them they were too worn 

 to decipher, now that they are set I find they are absolutely scaleless 

 in all the internervular areas, there being only a vestige of the lower 

 layer of brown scales along the veins of the wings. The genitalia tell me 

 they are Polyoiimwtus euinedon, but it is quite impossible to determine 

 them by their pattern. As I look at them now I ask myself is it 

 possible for a Plebeiine to hibernate. I suppose it is not possible, but 

 the abnormal condition of these two specimens in mid-June compelled 

 the thought. 



From here we went on to Provence where we spent the remainder 

 of our holiday, our next resting place (apart from single nights) being 

 la Sainte Baume, but this must be deferred for a later paper. 



A new Palaearctic species of the Lycaeninae. 



By G. T. BETHUNE-BAKER, F.L.S., F.Z.S., F.E.S. 



Lt. -Colonel H. D. Peile, who has returned home recently after spend- 

 ing some time in Mesopotamia with the army of occupation, has brought 

 a most interesting collection of Rhopalocera from that region and 

 among them is an extraordinary and beautiful' new Lycasnid belonging 

 to the dwna section of the genus Polyomma'tus, which I have much 

 pleasure in dedicating to its fortunate captor. 



Polyommatus peilei, sp.n. — $ Both wings yellowish tawny colour 

 (the exact colour is very difficult to describe, at first sight it looks 

 almost orange), the prevailing tone is deep yellowish. Primaries with 

 an abundant supply of greyish androconial hairs and small scales, 

 which give the wing an unusual aspect. The secondaries are almost 

 free of these scales except in the basal area. Fringes grey, the basal 



