COLLECTING IN PALESTINE IN MARCH, 1921. 193 



marginal spaces of the Linnean race nor in the deep black, long, sharp 

 nervural streaks of augusta, but individuals distinctly pointing to both 

 these extreme forms are to be seen. A. crataegi thus follows the rule 

 which is frequent in Calabria, its race being much more similar to 

 those of Central Europe than to its neighbours of Central Italy. 



(To he continued.) 



Collecting in Palestine in March, 1921. 



By Major P. P. GRAVES, F.E.S. 



During March this year I was convalescing, after a serious illness, 

 in Palestine, and had a chance of a few days collecting on two 

 occasions — on Mount Carmel from March 5th to March 11th, and at 

 Jericho from March 17th to March 22nd. I also had a few hours 

 collecting at the end of March at Kolonia and Ain Karim near 

 Jerusalem, and Urtas near Bethlehem, but found little at these 

 localities. 



Mount Carmel struck me as a good collecting ground, but not 

 many species were yet out there. On my way to Palestine I had spent 

 2 days at Beirut and got in an hour's collecting on March 3rd at the 

 Dog Biver, Beirut. Here I took Pieris brassicae, P. rapae v. vaga, a 

 small race, Pararge aegeria somewhat worn, and four $ s of the spring 

 form of P. napi v. pseudorapae, which is the second (summer) brood 

 of P. napi at Beirut. They are small specimens without much dark 

 scaling on the apex, or on the marginal extremities of the nervures of 

 the forewings. On the hindwings the dark scaling on the marginal 

 extremities of the nervures is faint, much fainter than is the case with 

 most vernal specimens from Constantinople. On the underside the 

 subapical and submarginal spots on the forewing are also very faint. 

 The ground colour of the hindwing is a very pale washy yellow : the 

 dark scaling along the nervures is very diffuse, giving a clouded 

 appearance to parts of the wing. I refrain at present from naming 

 this form. Four specimens of one sex hardly justify an addition to 

 the many names already bestowed on the many forms of P. napi. I 

 saw and missed specimens of Pararge maera v. orientalis and G. 

 cleopatra v. taurica. 



At Haifa itself P. rapae flying in kitchen gardens was the only 

 insect I saw. On Mount Carmel the one abundant butterfly was 

 Euchloe cdrdamines race phoenissa, Kalchberg, which occurred in 

 considerable numbers in all the ravines which seam the southern face 

 of the mountain, and also, though less frequently, in the pine planta- 

 tions at the summit of the ridge nearest to Haifa. Of 26 g s in my 

 series 11 are turritis and 13 approach umbrosa, Culot, more or less 

 closely, in having the basad margin of the orange area on the upper- 

 side forewings marked by dark scaling. The ? s are generally 

 distinguished by having in the spaces between the nervures within the 

 grey apical area white, more or less triangular, markings based upon the 

 outer and apico-costal margins. The 5 s began to appear on March 

 6th and were not infrequent by the 11th. Other Pierids seen and 

 . taken were Pieris brassicae in small numbers, Anthocharis belemia, 4 

 $ s and 1 ? of first brood form, and Gonepteryx cleopatra race 

 taurica, which was not infrequent. Pyrameis atalanta and P. carditi, 

 the latter worn, occurred occasionally. The only Satyrid seen was 



