. 1870.] 47 
the Highlands have been more thoroughly “ worked,” be found to be 
more apparent than real; though certainly the reason why some species, 
too conspicuous to be easily overlooked, are of loca] distribution, seems 
remarkable: for instance—the occurrence of Erebia Aledea in some 
localities, and its absence in others of apparently the same nature and 
equally suited to it. 
4. When the British Lepidoptera have been as thoroughly ex- 
amined as has been the British Flora, we will no doubt find that 
certain species inhabit only the eastern parts of the country, and others 
only the western, as is the case with certain plants; but at present I 
do not think that we can with certainty affirm which species are only 
eastern and which only western, though at the same time we have good 
grounds for believing some species to be one and some the other. The 
Highlands have been as yet so unequally worked, that nothing can be 
said definitely on this point regarding the insects inhabiting them. 
Lepidoptera in Strathglass.—The number of species of Macro- 
Lepidoptera noticed by me are as follows :— 
Diurni...... LS Drepanwl@é .....0+0. 2 Deltoides...... 1 
Nocturni...... 16 Pseudo-Bombyces.. 5 Pyralides ... 11 
Geometre ... 67 NOHUE® 63. coceceds WO Crambites ... 11 
No doubt in a better season than 1869 was, the number would be 
greatly increased. I now proceed to mention some of the rarer species. 
Argynnis Euphrosyne was, as would seem to be the rule, in all the 
Highland valleys of northern Scotland (¢. ¢. north of the Grampians), 
as common as A. Selene; and A. Aglaia was by no means rare, though 
somewhat more local than the other two. The most universally dis- 
tributed butterfly, however, was Erebia Medea, W.V., which absolutely 
swarmed in all the open marshy places in the woods, occasional indi- 
viduals even coming into the garden. I noticed that this species 
appeared to have the limit of its range above the sea, at about $00 feet, 
while both Cenonympha Davus (Typhon) and Pamphilus occurred at 
upwards of 2000 feet. Indeed, these two species, along with Erebia 
Epiphron (which, though probably a native of this district, was not 
found by me), seem to be the only British butterflies which inhabit the 
higher regions of the mountains; for Vanessa urtice (with some other 
Vanesside), though often seen on the summits of high mountains, is 
probably only a chance visitant, whose strong wings and aspiring mind 
have carried him thither, and not a regular inhabitant, whose larve 
- would be found. Polyommatus Icarus (=Alexis) is another species 
