104 THE ENTOMOLOGIST'S RECORD. 



My friend Rowland Brown tells me he cannot trace it being recorded 

 from this district. I also took a beautiful Zygaena carniolica race 

 occitanica. Another day in company with Mr. Main and Mr. Symes 

 we went to the east end of the escarpment and were very successful 

 with the general run of species already mentioned, but in addition I 

 took a couple of fine Ruralis quercus ; we had been told that Ldeosopsis 

 roboris -w&s to be found here, but we were quite unable to find it, I 

 took, however, Zygaena sarpedon, and one or two Zygaena briseis, also 

 Z. carniolica, mostly ab. heydesari, whilst two or three Z. fausta were 

 also captured. A couple of fine and perfect Papilio podaliriua fell to 

 my net and a nice little series of Polyommatus escheri, about which I 

 have more to say elsewhere. 



On another day we three went over toRiboux, a plain on the south 

 side of the escarpment, on the top of which is the chapel of St. Pilon, 

 here I took more Satyrns cordula and also S. alcyone, whilst lower down 

 among the trees I captured one or two S. hermione. It was an 

 intensely hot day and we missed the track that makes in zigzags the 

 steep descent, so we decided to go straight down the side of the hill, 

 and having covered possibly half or more of the steep scramble down- 

 wards we rested awhile, glad of the welcome shade of a few trees. 

 Here after a few minutes breathing space on looking round I saw 

 some delightful rocks bathed in the full blaze of the sun ; " Come," 

 said I, " here's just the place for Satyr us fi<lia, ,, and suiting the action 

 to the word 1 got up and almost before I was aware of it, a flash, a 

 stroke, a back hander, and there was a perfect specimen of the 

 butterfly ; as I looked at the beauty my thoughts travelled back to 

 before the war to the last time I took it, at Ille sur Tet, in the Oriental 

 Pyrenees. Then we proceeded on our way and ere very long arrived 

 down on to the plain of Riboux and soon found the well we were in 

 search of. Here were the usual cattle troughs made out of the trunks 

 of trees, and as the water evaporated they were greatly frequented by 

 wasps and butterflies, prominent among the latter being Polyommatus 

 dolus, and Hesperia fritillum race cirsii, H. foulquieri, H. malvoides,a,Ta& 

 U. sao. In this plain Satyrus briseis was fairly common but very 

 strong in flight and difficult to catch ; nevertheless I got a nice little 

 series, the form however in this hot dry plain is not quite so large as 

 elsewhere in Provence and is darker than usual. I think we were all 

 well satisfied with our day and I enjoyed it thoroughly. 



Among other insects I took a nice series of Plcbeius (aeyon) argus. 

 P. argyroanomon also occurred and b, nice little lot of Rumicia ]>hlaeas 

 fell to my net mostly of the eleus form, but some, quite typical of the 

 first generation, were probably laggards of it. 



Thymelicusacteon was not rare, and Adopaea fiava {line a) was common 

 as was also A. lineola ; of Erynnis (Carcliarodus) alceae I took but one. I 

 did practically no "dusking" at all and therefore my catch of the 

 Heterocera was quite small. 



La Sainte Baume is a very interesting spot from more than one 

 point of view. Apart from the natural history of the district and its 

 natural and scenic peculiarities and beauties, it has many old world 

 interests; the Hotellerie was from tbe thirteenth century, until the 

 disfranchisement of 1904, a religious house of the Dominicans, and 

 many are the legends connected with the famous grotto in tbe escarp- 

 ment and with the little church of St. Pilon on the summit. They 



