58 THE entomologist's record. 



Granja is, in every respect, a most desirable place to stay at ; it is 

 charmingly situated at an altitude of nearly 4000 feet, immediately 

 beneath the " Pico de Penalara," the crowning point of the range, 

 which reaches, according to Baedeker, 7826 feet. The Spanish king, 

 Henry IV., about 150 years ago, built here a fine palace, and formed 

 a large park and gardens, which are laid out in the French style of the 

 period ; the fountains in these gardens are magnificent, and are said 

 to be the finest in Europe. La Granja has been, and is, a summer 

 residence of the Eoyal Family, and consequently several good hotels 

 have sprung up, where a certain amount of French is spoken. We found 

 very good quarters at the Hotel de Eoma. The climate was most 

 delightful during our stay, sunshine was almost continuous, and the 

 temperature cool and enjoyable. At La Granja we found many of the 

 most interesting Spanish forms of Rhopalocera, One great point is, 

 that the mountains everywhere around are full of copious sprmgs of 

 most delicious water, invaluable for quenching one's thirst. Our first 

 day was spent in the Royal Park ; this so-called park is almost entirely 

 composed of wood and undergrowth in which oak largely predominates, 

 although there is also a certain amount of ash. Here, amongst other 

 species, Laeosopis roboris is reported to be abundant, we did not, how- 

 ever, find this to be the case, and only came across odd specimens in this 

 particular spot. Interspread amongst the wood are certain open glades, 

 with a growth of bramble, grasses, etc., and these were found good 

 collecting ground. Dryas paphia ab. immacidata was abundant on 

 these brambles, Aryynnis aylaia and Issoria lathonia were plentiful, and 

 with them Brenthis daphne flew here and there ; over the grassy places 

 Melanaryia iapyyia var. cleanthe and M. lachesu were abundant, and in 

 fine order. 



The next day, July 19th, we searched for new ground, walking 

 along a road, fringed with poplars, on the east side of La Granja. 

 About a mile from the village a large brook conies down from the 

 mountains, alongside the foot of which the road skirts. Here, on 

 this and succeeding days, I had one of the greatest collecting treats of 

 my experience. Turning to the right, where the brook crossed the 

 road, and following its course for some two miles, we found quite the 

 best ground in the district. For a distance of a mile or so the brook 

 flowed through a well-wooded dell, with a growth of oak, willows, and 

 various species of broom ; higher up, the trees gradually thin out, and 

 the brooms become more numerous, and are mixed with cistus and 

 other low-growing plants, whilst higher up still, at a level of about 

 2000ft. above the road, mountain pastures and meadows are in 

 evidence. Butterflies simply swarmed at all these levels, and more 

 striking than even their number, was to me the fact that they were 

 nearly all new, if not in species, at least in form. Growing in the 

 brook at the lower levels, at intervals of a few yards, were fine clumps 

 of thistles, and one had only to work these patches to get the whole 

 fauna of the neighbourhood ; and what a gorgeous lot they were. Great 

 creamy Melanargias, M. var. cleanthe and M. lachesis, with its 

 local and striking ab. cataleiwa, were settled five or six on a thistle, and 

 even more brilliant still were the gorgeous Argynnids, Aryynnis 

 adippe, and var. chlorodippe, with lovely green and silver- spotted under- 

 side, and var. deodippe, in which the silver spots are obsolete ; A. aglaia 

 including one very fine aberration, with suffused and banded superiors, 



