1889.3 321 



And it may, perhaps, be advisable that those who contemplate giving 

 notes on the Fauna of a foreign country, should first make themselves 

 conversant with the publications already existing where essential 

 information might be obtained. This would often prevent the prema- 

 ture publication of hasty notes based upon cursory observations of 

 hypothetical species, which really do not occur in the locality of which 

 the writer is treating. 



As for the Lepidopterous Fauna of Bergen, where Dr. Jordan's 

 " Ramble " was made, my friend J. Sp. Schneider, now Conservator at 

 the Museum of Tromso, who lived many years in Bergen, has given a 

 list of his captures there in "Christiana Yid. Selsk. Forhandl.," 1875 ; 

 and a list of all the Lepidoptera observed at Bergen may be found in 

 H. Siebke's " Enumeratio Insect. Norveg.," Fasc. iii, 1876, edited by 

 Schneider. 



Dr. Jordan records, as the result of his excursion on that "glorious 

 day in August," 12 species of Lepidoptera, 5 Rhopalocera : Vanessa 

 urticce, Erebia Elandina, Chionobas Jutta (all three seen only, not 

 captured), Lgccsna Icarus and Pararge Hiera (both of them captured) ; 

 4 Geometrce : Larentia didymata, caesiata, Cidaria populata, Ortholitha 

 limitata ; and 3 Micro- Lepidoptera : Ablabia pratana, Simdethis Fab- 

 riciana and Mimceseoptilus fuscodactylus. 



The first butterfly observed was Vanessa urticce, thus mentioned 

 " a splendid specimen, small, and clearly enough of the dark Northern 

 form polaris.''' Unfortunately the true var. polaris does not occur 

 near Bergen. My friend Schneider, who collected and observed 

 butterflies for many years at Bergen, never saw any var. polaris among 

 the Vanessa urticce flying there ; nor have I myself anywhere observed 

 this variety' out of the arctic region, not even on Dovref jeld, where 

 only a connecting link with the true arctic form can be found. 



No doubt, in comparison with English specimens of V. urticce, 

 those in Norway are somewhat smaller and darker, but the true var. 

 polaris (nigricans, macula dorsali cum macula costali conjuncta) only 

 occurs in the arctic region of our country. 



The second butterfly observed by Dr. Jordan he calls Erebia 

 JBlandina, an insect which, though occurring in England and Scotland, 

 has never yet been found in any part of Scandinavia, either in Sweden 

 or in Norway. What Dr. Jordan did see was doubtless Erebia Ligea, 

 a species which, though not occurring in England, is more or less 

 common over the greater part of Norway, and precisely in the month 

 of August, flies near Bergen. 



