THE LEPIDOPTERA OF THE CENTRAL SPANISH SIERRAS. 97 



reached, then this part of the valley is absolutely without springs, and, 

 consequently, one has to carry one's supply of drinking water in the 

 knapsack, and this is usually exhausted long before you wish to return. 

 It is true there is plenty of water in the river, but this is quite unsuit- 

 able for drinking according to our ideas, though the natives think 

 differently, many of them filling their vessels in the river below the 

 town, in preference to the splendid springs which well up there out 

 of the rock; they say the river water has more taste, and judging from 

 what one sees put m at Albarracin, no doubt they are right. Almost 

 the first butterfly we took down this gorge was the fine Satyrus prieuri, 

 occurring only in Europe in the Albarracin district, and the magnificent 

 female form, uhagoni, which, I believe, is not known elsewhere ; the 

 type was abundant, in good condition, and easily captured, and of the 

 var. uhagoni we soon obtained all we required ; with these were flying 

 Satyrus fidia, a small form, with undersides not so bright as French 

 specimens, and approaching the northern African form ; S. 

 statilinus var. allionia, likewise a small form ; S. alcyone, 8. 

 rirce, Hipparchia semele, Pontia daplidice, and Colias edusa. It was a 

 new experience with me to see flying on the same ground Gonopteryx 

 rhamni and G. cleopatra, Melitaea phoebe var. oecitanica ; fine M. 

 didyina, with very distinct red females; Dryas pandora, amongst a bed 

 of thistles, down by the river ; Dryas paphiaYajV. immaculata, settled on 

 brambles, Eninephele jurtina var. hispidla, with remarkably ochreous 

 undersides, and Pararge )iiegaera : L'oenonympha dorus was in 

 swarms, Epinephele ida and E. pasiphae had been common, but were 

 nearly over ; E. tithonus was still in good order and plentiful ; Poly- 

 innmatus escheri and P. bellargus getting over ; the striking albino var. 

 nivescens of P. hylas, had been abundant, but was getting worn ; P. 

 corydon var. hispana, common, and in good condition, with one 

 specimen of var. corydonius ; P. admetus abundant, and with a certain 

 proportion of the form rippertii amongst them ; Pyrgus proto and 

 Erynnis alceae were abundant and fresh, and with these flew a 

 form of Hesperia alveus. 



We walked several times up to the Puerto de la Losillo, amongst 

 the hills, some four or five miles from Albarracin, there we found 

 Argynnis adippe var. chlorodipjje SuXid A. rtr/Z«irt abundant, with numerous 

 females ; Satyrus actaea, not infrequent, a small form with the under- 

 side not so strongly marked as Digne specimens ; with this were 

 flying plenty of .S'. briseis, and S. alcyone : Melanargia iapygia 

 var. cleanthe and M. lachesis were in plenty, and var. cataleuca 

 occurred ; Polyommatus hylas var. nivescens, was here in much better 

 condition than in the Guadalaviar gorge, but it was past its best, and I 

 had to work hard to get a few decent examples. I understand from Miss 

 Fountaine that, at the end of June, and in early -July, it had been 

 abundant, and that she, with ourselves, had only seen this form of the 

 species in the district. Of Parnassius ajjollo I only found two examples, 

 neither of them good, and of Brenthis hecate, only one specimen was 

 netted, evidently it was over. Just before we left Albarracin, Colias hyale 

 became common at Losillo ; I had not seen it elsewhere in Spain dur- 

 ing our visit. One or two examples each of Papilio machaon and P. 

 podalirius var. feisthamelii were seen, or netted, but we were evidently 

 between the broods. 



I collected one day in what is known locally as the " Vega." This 



