SWISS LEPIDOPTEEA IN 1905. 123t 



Swiss Lepidoptera in 1905. 



By DOUGLAS H. PEAESON. 



The Ehone Valley has many attractive side shows, and the one 

 which drew us in 1905, was Arolla. June 20th, found us at Loeche, 

 where we stayed at the "Hotel Poste et Couronne," and anyone in 

 search of bad food, indifferent accommodation, and an entire lack of 

 sanitation, can here be satisfied. The rough hill- side within a quarter 

 of a mile of the back of the town, seems to be excellent collecting-ground, 

 and had our quarters been more comfortable, I should have liked to 

 have spent more time there. I managed to take two Pyrrjus sao, 

 Hesperia carthami, single specimens of Erynnis lavaterae, E. althaeae, 

 Brenthis daphne, and B. ino, a few Melitaea didyma, and a solitary 

 specimen of Cyclopides palaemon. Is there any locality where this 

 species flies freely as it does in England ? The three specimens I 

 possess represent three different seasons, and I have never been able 

 to find more than the one individual. On June 21st, we walked down 

 to Sierre through the Pfynwald, but did not meet with anything of 

 note, beyond some exceptionally large Plebeius aegon, probably from 

 want of knowledge of the locality, but it struck us as being distinctly 

 warm. The next day was spent between Leuk and Leukerbad, and 

 produced Melitaea pJioebe, Nhoniades tages, Pyrgus sao (1), Hipparchia 

 seniele, Polyoinmatus astrarche, Arctia villica (1). On the 24th, we 

 went down to Sierre and drove up to Evolene, where the meadows 

 were full of good things, and we took among others, Melitaea phoebe, 21. 

 cinxia, M. didyma, M. dictynna (including some very dwarf forms), 

 Brenthis dia, Lycaena avion, L. alcon (1), Nomiades cyllarus (1), and 

 N. semiargus. Parnasius apollo was on the wing, and we also saw the 

 larvfe, but did not meet with P. delius. It was here that we had the 

 pleasure of meeting three brethren of the net, Messrs. Simes, Bobbins 

 and Austin, and spent some very pleasant hours in their company. 

 The walk from Evolene to Arolla was quite unproductive, as the day 

 was dull and windy, and this dull weather prevailed more or less for 

 several days, but when we left on July 5th, several fresh things 

 were added to the bag. In the meadows round the hotel, Polyoinmatus 

 eumedon was fairly plentiful, and in good condition, a few Chrysophanus 

 dorilis were taken, while Anthocharis simplonia was just coming out, 

 but generally required a chase, owing to the strong wind. Parnassius 

 delius Avas also just appearing, and we managed to take one or two each 

 day, and, in the flat meadows near the river, I took Polyommatas pheretes 

 for the first time, and one specimen of the brown female. (Eneis aello 

 was taken on the way to Lac de Lucel, and also near the Plan de 

 Bertol, but was not plentiful. It was evidently too early for most of 

 the Erebias, the only plentiful species being Erebia lappona. One or 

 two E. gorge were taken near the Plan de Bertol, and two E. ceto in 

 the meadows, three E. alecto on the way to the Pas des Chevres, but no 

 others were seen. Thousands of larv^ of Anthrocera exulans were 

 feeding on Dryas octopetala, between the hotel and the foot of the 

 glacier, and were pupating on the underside of loose stones, as many 

 as seven or eight bemg sometimes under one stone, and I managed to 

 breed a small series. Brenthis pales was taken in the meadows, but 

 did not appear to be variable, and with them several Pieris callidice, 

 which I had not previously seen so low down. Most of the P. napi 



