

JOURNAL, OF VARIATION. 



Vol. XI. No. 8. August 1st, 1899. 



Th3 Lspidoptara of tha Little St. Bernard Pass. 



By J. W. TUTT, F.E.S. 



I had moderately wall diss3cted the lepidopterological tveasures of 

 Bourg St. Maurice for rather more than the preccdmg week, and so, 

 on the early morning of August 3rd, 1893, 1 Avas up betimo3, ready 

 to catch the five o'clock diligence to the summit of the Little 8t. 

 Bernard, and renew my acquaintance with the beautiful Alpiuo 

 S2enery which clusters around the upper Val d'Isere as one makes tho 

 first part of the charming ascent up the lengthy zigzags that lead to 

 the Hospice of the Petit St. Bernard. One's delight on revisiting 

 some of these charming Alpine nooks can readily be imagined, and 

 with a balmy, sunny morning the sum of human happiness may be 

 considered well nigh complete.. Of course, entomologically, a rapid 

 rush over a pass when one has to keep pace with the diligence carrymg 

 one's luggage, does not conduce to a very thorough exploration of its 

 entomological treasures, aiul even if one cuts off the long windings of 

 the zigzags it does not leave umch time for rumination. One wet and 

 unsatisfactory day entomologically, was spent at the Hospice at the 

 summit (I still live in hopes that I shall some time or other get a fina 

 day there), whilst the next day I started ahead of the diligence, and 

 collected over the ground on the Italian side in a liurried sort of way 

 until I reached the village of La Thuile, where I joined the diligence, 

 after a haggle as to whether I ought to pay for the pleasure of walking 

 from the Hospice to this village, and then went on to Pre St. Didier. 



The lepidoptera observed were not numerous, i-ather, perhaps one 

 ought to say, the species were not numerous, for, here and there, the 

 number of specimens of ('ularki lai'mita and a few other species was 

 almost incredible. Making the ascent from Bourg St. ^Maurice I 

 captured several fine Ilijiiiairliia senidr, almost of the ari'-tcit'iis form, 

 whilst Mrhinanila (/dlatra was in fine condition up to some ."J.OUOft. 

 iihoxe sea level. In the early morning Sctitio aiirita was Hying most 

 abundantly in the sunshine, whilst Nidlaria iniimlana similarly hung 

 about the hedgerows and banks for the first thousand feet or so of the 

 ascent. L'rawhm cidmellm and Atidalia jiavcolaria were in great 

 abundance for a considerable distance up the slopes, occurring some- 

 times in countless myriads, still, perhaps, less abundant than I saw 

 them at Le Lautaret in 1896. The way these species flit about among 

 the damp dewy grass, in the early morning, is very interesting. They 

 will congregate in milli(nis fibout rho tops of the gr.is^ culm^ from 



