BUTTERFLY HUNTING IN DALMATIA, MONTENEGRO, ETC. 8 



possesses a good museum, and we inspected the various collections 

 with great interest, especially the entomological department, alily 

 presided over hy Dr. Apfelbeck, who gave us every facility for obtain- 

 ing local information ; but we Avere somewhat disappointed to find 

 that few of the butterflies of south-eastern Europe are to be taken in 

 Austrian Turkey, the insects of Bosnia being generally those of the 

 eastern Alps, whilst the Hercegovina produces most of the Dalmatian 

 species, and, so far as we could discover — nothing else. 



We resolved to turn southwards again, and try what we could find 

 in the hot limestone gorges of the Hercegovina, so we went to 

 Jablanica, June 7th. Tlais is a summer resort, beautifully situated on 

 the Narenta, in a deep valley, which has here cut a great trench 

 between the precipices of the Prenj on the east and the Drinat;a on the 

 west. It is a good butterfly corner, there is considerable variety of 

 geological formation in the immediate neighbourhood, and several 

 well-wooded side valleys, with occasional hayfields. The railway 

 banks (in the main valley) present a delightful tangle of fragrant 

 weeds and bushes, easily worked from the high road, which runs close 

 along side the line. We had two good days here, the finest of which 

 we devoted to the ascent of the Drina9a (6,650ft.), six hours of rather 

 rough walking from our hotel. It was, however, too early for the 

 mountain butterflies, and we saw nothing on the higher levels except- 

 ing Brenthis eaphrusi/ne and a few P. cri/anc. This latter surprised us, 

 as we did not expect to find it 5,000ft. above the sea. In a steep 

 meadow, half way up, we found Mditaca anrinia (type), Xoiiiiaihs 

 semiargus, C. mininia, S. alreits, and many common things, and in a 

 clearing in the beech forest Xcptis huilla abounded, evidently just out 

 of chrysalis. Our second day was spent on the railway banks, up the 

 Narenta Valley, and here we took Chri/sophanns alcipln-on in plenty, 

 one fine specimen of Tlicda tr-albiiin, An/i/nnis (laplnw, A. adipiir var. 

 cleoduxa, Bri/as pcqihia, and many others. This is the first time I 

 have taken C. alclphron, of which C. (/orclins is frequently given as a 

 variety. The two insects are extremely alike, but their habits and 

 manner of flight difter so widely that I feel no doubt of their being 

 distinct species. C. alciphrun is common all through Bosnia and in 

 the wooded districts of Hercegovina ; it haunts bushy places, and is 

 rather a sluggish insect, perching lazily on many kinds of sweet 

 flowers — whereas C. i/ordius likes stony places, flies fast, and is by 

 no means greedy. I never saw C. i/ordiuH once during last summer's 

 tour. 



June 11th found us at Mostar, one of the hottest nooks in Herce- 

 govina, of which it is the capital. It stands only 150ft. above the sea, 

 on the rapid Narenta, well sheltered from the north and east by the 

 great mass of the Velez Planina (limestone, 6,000ft. high). We drove 

 out to Blagaj, about eight miles east of Mostar, where the Buna 

 issues, a full-grown river, from a great limestone precipice. The 

 place is a perfect suntrap, the rocks all overgrown with pomegranate, 

 clematis, and the various other shrubs which clothe the Mediterranean 

 coasts. Here again we found good collecting ground, on which we 

 spent two days. We took M. larissa var. hnt/ta in abundance, 7'////- 

 )ii(iiciis actaeon, S. sidac, S. orbifcr, 1'. cri/cow, T. acai-inc, T. sjiiiti, 

 l'oll/(>)iiiiiatiis eschen, P. tolas, Dnjas pandora, A. dajdnie, Mclitata 

 p/uicbc, yf. didi/iiia, L, sinapis var. dinicitfiis, &c. There is also excellent 



