THREE SEASONS AMONG SWISS BUTTERKr.IES. /}13 



by their absence. One specimen of F.. mnhisa was taken at Roche at the 

 end of May, and it appeared again at Caux at the beginning of June, 

 when M. parthmic was also to be found there ; at the same time I found 

 that the aberration of P. irams without basal spots on the underside of 

 the forewings (icarimis) was by far commoner than the type in the field 

 forming the gorge of the Veraye behind Veytaux, but no new species 

 had been acquired up to the time of my departure for Mont Barry, 

 near Gruyere, on June 22nd. Here bad weather and bad health 

 entered into a compact to prevent my working this (to me) new district, 

 but I obtained two new species L. cujt/unnHs and L. areas {cn'hii.'i), both of 

 which were very common in the damp fields behind the small hill on 

 which the hotel is built, where ('. rhri/scis and M. ilicti/nna were also 

 abundant. A', lit/ea appeared just before our departure for Berisal, 

 where we arrived on July 8th. The whole interest of this year's 

 captures centres round Berisal, where we remained until August 80th, 

 except during one Aveek of August, spent in the new hotel on the top of 

 the Simplon pass. /-'. nnu-muai/ni' was very abundant just behind the 

 hotel for some ten days after our arrival, and at the same place P. najn 

 var. bryoniae was by no means uncommon ; for both these the lateness 

 of the season was to be thanked. One specimen of P. hiera I found, 

 but too worn to be set. In Kane's generally excellent little book I find 

 July and August given as its time of appearance, but even in a late 

 season the second w^eek in July is too late, and in an early season, as I 

 found in 1899, it is quite over before the end of June. I took an early 

 opportunity of searching at the second refuge for L. ^ephi/rns var. li/riilax, 

 w^hich I found in abundance in the fields above the refuge, but it is a 

 mistake to suppose that it is confined to this spot, as I have taken it 

 at intervals by the road-side as far as the Ganter bridge. It was 

 while hunting liicidas that I had the good fortune to fall in with that 

 excellent and indefatigable lepidopterisi Chanoine Favre, of Martigny, 

 and still more fortunate was I to be able to otter him specimens of 

 li/cidas and to put him on the track of obtaining them for himself ; for 

 he has since proved himself a most kind friend, and is always ready to 

 impart to me his stores of wonderfully accurate information. At the 

 same time as li/ciilas, P. cscJicri {anestar) and M. phocbc were very abundant 

 by the road-side between the second refuge and the Ganter bridge, at 

 which latter spot P. an/ns and P. aeijon swarmed somewhat later in 

 incredible numbers, a few specimens of P. an/us var. aeijidion being 

 found among them. Two specimens of A. belia var. simjilonia fell to 

 my lot this month. It seems to be often confounded with var. ansonia, 

 but the latter, especially the $ , is a far sturdier and more robust-look- 

 ing insect ; the discoidal spot of aitsonia is larger and there is much 

 more white on the underside of the hindwings. A few specimens of Pitiis 

 daplidue were also to be taken. In the middle of July Cidias iddcoutimc 

 appeared near the fifth refuge, and continued to be abundant for more 

 than a month. At the same time I took one specimen of Kirbia rrias 

 at the Ganter bridge, and at the same spot /s'. ccto appeared in toler- 

 able numbers, but entirely disappeared before the end of the month. 

 x\t the top of the pass I took A', lappona commonly, also in tlie middle 

 of July ; and at the fourth refuge several specimens of (Kncis arllo during 

 the last ten days of the month. During this time and the beginning 

 of August Jlrciit/iis jialis was abundant, and the var. anilachr fairly so, 

 both fit the fifth refuge and at the top of the pass ; and at the begin- 



