114 THE entomologist's recoed. 



profusion. The Coppers were only represented by an abundance of 

 Chrysophanus hippotho'e, and a couple of worn C. dorilis. The Blues 

 included Lycaena avion, Cupido minima, Nomiades semiargus, Polyom- 

 mattis corydon, P. hellargus, P. hylas, P. alexis, P. astrarche, and 

 Plebeius aegon, and a few specimens of Callophrys rabi, and the Skippers 

 included Nisoniades tages, Augiades sylvanus, Adopaea flava {thaumas), 

 and a few worn Cyciopides palaemon. Towards the end of my short. 

 stay I found a nest of small Euvanessa antiopa larvae on a willow-tree 

 in the valley near Lauterbrunnen, but not before my restless curiosity 

 had compelled me to return to Berne to see what it was that had. 

 stripped that bush by the line side. The journey was made on July 

 4th, the hottest day that summer, I believe, culminating in a thunder-, 

 storm, and I spent rather over seven hours en route, and, what is more, 

 I went armed with a ladies' hat-box of large size — a delightful patent- 

 folding thing — which should carry home the prize, when obtained, 

 without crush or injury. I began to get nervous as we approached the 

 town, fearing that the day's quest would come to nothing. However, 

 planting myself at the carriage window, I watched and waited, and 

 once more the stripped boughs were quickly scanned as the train sped by, 

 and once more black objects were detected, but, to my dismay, a small 

 bird was fluttering in their very midst. The line curved from here in 

 a complete semicircle, and another mile brought us to a standstill in 

 Berne station. At a chemist's shop I bought some oil of geranium, 

 which I rubbed over my face to keep the flies off, but which, owing to 

 the excessive heat of the sun caused me, not only to shine, but to 

 smart ! I then crossed the great bridge over the river, and made my 

 way with all speed through the town in the direction which I knew 

 must sooner or later bring me to the railway line ; and to make a long 

 story short I hit the spot at once, and my efforts were rewarded. There 

 was the white willow bush, or all that was left of it, and there were 

 twenty-seven magnificent full-sized E. antiopa larvae, black as coal, 

 with vermilion spots on the back and red legs, eating voraciously, and 

 moving about with electric rapidity, their movements being accentu- 

 ated by the heat and brilliance of the day. The hat-box was soon 

 opened out, the bough snipped, and in ten minutes I was marching 

 back to the town to refresh the inner man at the nearest beer-garden, 

 and as proud as "Punch." In the light of subsequent experience I feel 

 that this expenditure of time and trouble has been fully justified by the 

 result, for not only was I able, there and then, with the aid of another 

 obliging chemist, to blow and preserve a larva before the train started 

 for the return journey, but I thereby acquired absolutely fullfed 

 larvae, which hung themselves up for pupation almost immediately, 

 and emerged as fine full-sized specimens. This is always a difficulty 

 with the Vanessids (especially marked in the case of Eugonia polychloros) 

 when reared for any length of time in captivity ; the imagines being 

 rich enough in colour, but puny and small in expanse of wing. There 

 were two electric arc lamps in front of the hotel at Wengen, capable of 

 being lowered, and these, of course, offered great attraction to the 

 moths after dark. Amongst these were Hyloicus pinastri, Hyles 

 euphorbiae, Theretra porcellus, and many common Noctuids and 

 Geometrids. Several H. pinastri were found by day on the trunks of 

 spruce-fir, and one Sphinx ligustri, freshly emerged, on a post in the 

 garden. The following were also taken or observed in the neighbour- 



