ENTOMOLOGICAL NOTES FROM THE RIVIER.V. 151 



tion suitable to insular tasto? and habits is more available than at a 

 majority of the points on the Italian Riviera. It still, however, suffers 

 from a serious draAvback, it has no proper water service, wells, often in 

 doubtful positions, being the source from which the inhabitants get 

 their supplies. The situation of Alassio makes it doubtful whether 

 this can be remedied, as the mass of hill behind it is comparatively 

 small, and is isolated by the flat valleys of Andora and Albenga, which 

 open on to the coast some three miles or so to the west and east 

 respectively of Alassio. Alassio itself is on a very narrow strip of flat, 

 all of which is enclosed or built upon, and the hills above are terraced 

 for olive-gardens to a great height. There is still, however, a good 

 deal of ground, both towards Capo Mele and Capo Croce, as well as 

 higher up, that is attractive, whilst the valleys of Albenga and Andora, 

 accessible by a few minutes rail or by driving, which is very cheap 

 here, both present some attractive areas not yet wrested from their 

 streams by cultivation. In the Andora valley the oleander is exceed- 

 ingly abundant on the waste pieces by the stream, reminding one of 

 willows and Hippophaes in similar spots elsewhere. One would expect 

 Dcilephila nrrii to be common here on the occasions when it occurs. 

 M. Constant, who has a splendid lot of bred specimens, told me that 

 it was occasionally to be had near Cannes in some numbers, but more 

 usually absent, precisely, apparently, like .S'. cunvolniU with us, except- 

 ing that with ]). iierii it is the larva that is usually taken. 



I noted at Alassio, on March 28th : — The dull cold weather per- 

 sisted to the end of our stay at Cannes, and followed us here. To- 

 day is rather warmer and has some sun, though there is a good deal 

 of cloud about. Yesterday Vohjiniuuatus baton was seen for the first 

 time. To-day, in the Albenga valley, the dominant butterfly is Ficris 

 hraasicae, P. rapae and P. napi, being usually equally common. Two 

 P. hramcae were seen on a tree-trunk, newly emerged, and there are 

 still plenty of chrysalides on walls, &c. Picris daplidke was not 

 imcommon, Parcuyje ?//(v/o('/'« frequent, and P. eyeria almost abundant. 

 Two (roneptoryx denpatra and Polyyunia cyea were seen, and one 

 Anthocharia heUa. 



There is considerable pleasure in making an observation for oneself, 

 no matter how well known the fact observed may be, and thus, though 

 M. Constant had told me that P^iyche helix was in thousands on the 

 shore at the mouth of the Var, I was interested to observe their 

 abundance at some places in the Albenga valley. Certain tree-trunks 

 were covered with them, literally in thousands. These were, of course, 

 empty cases, and I could not discover in the grass around any examples 

 of the brood of this year. These empty cases were all firmly attached 

 to the trees, and were probably not merely last year's cases, but an 

 accumulation of several years. They all looked remarkably fresh, 

 except where a hole indicated the emergence of an ichneumon. It 

 occurred to me that the difficulty of obtaining males of this species is 

 not altogether due to the greater abundance of females, but also to the 

 large proportion of cases of previous years that must exist amongst 

 any lot collected. I doubt its being easy to pick out the new ones 

 from amongst those I saw, and so an enormous number of old ones 

 would have to be taken along with them. 



Another observation that was new to me was to find a dozen or so of 

 empty pupa-cases of Purthetria di.spar amongst the grass at the foot of 



