THREE SEASONS AMONG SWISS BUTTERFLIES. 5 
Melitaea cinaia and M. parthenie, with its var. varia, were abundant at 
Veytaux,—a curious fact, seeing that varia is as a rule a mountain 
variety. 
Circumstances over which I had very little control caused the 
greater part of this summer to be passed at Sierre, in the Rhone Valley, 
and the one place in it where the mosquito is extremely rare. Our 
first visit there began on June 14th, and the following day I took a 
specimen of Lycaena tolas ? , and during the ensuing week two 3, all 
in the immediate neighbourhood of Sierre, but none of them at the 
famous corner which every entomologist seems fondly to believe is 
known only to himself, and to one other person to whom he has 
revealed it in the strictest confidence! Itis, Iam convinced, a mistake 
to imagine that this insect is confined to a few spots, for it is always 
found on the bladder senna (Colutea arborescens), is a strong flier and 
never remains for more than a minute or two at the same plant; it 
must therefore have a wide range of flight within the very limited area 
where the food-plant grows. Chanoine Favre informs me that it is 
Jess uncommon near Martigny. A visit to Visp on June 16th produced 
M. aurelia and one specimen of var. britomartis, but nothing else of 
note. Thecla ilicis var. cerri is to be taken at Sierre at this time, though 
not commonly. Up to this point there were but few butterflies at 
Sierre, and one was tempted to imagine that it was a somewhat barren 
locality, an idea which subsequent experience showed to be most ill- 
founded. A compulsory return to Veytaux, from June 27th to July 
8th, did not produce any new species, though I took Limenitis sibylla 
for the first time in that locality on July 1st and a remarkable specimen 
of P. tcarus (alexis) 3 , in which the first row of black spots within the 
peacock eyes on the underside forewings is prolonged into a series of 
dashes. This is not uncommon on the upper side forewings of 
Chrysophanus zermattensis, and I have taken at Bérisal a similar 9 of 
P. dorylas, in which the 8rd and 4th spots of the under side forewings 
are thus prolonged the former to such an extent as to coalesce with the 
discoidal spot. On July 8th we returned to Sierre, and found the 
number of butterflies greatly increased, and amongst them some (such 
as Hpinephele lycaon, Lycaena arion var. obscura and Pamphila comma 
which were very abundant) which one is accustomed to associate with 
the mountains ; but Sierre has many mountain plants which doubtless 
accounts for this fact. A drive to Montana on the 11th introduced us 
to what would appear to be a grand hunting-ground and several species 
seemed abundant. I took Coenonympha iphis 2, Syrichthus fritillian 
yar. alveus and S. carthamt, the latter exceptionally fine. But the drive 
down is suited only to those who are as strong as a horse, or as round 
and springy as an india-rubber ball, the road being incredibly bad. 
About this time I took S. fritildum (type) in the valley. It was not 
until July 14th that any other new species was obtained, but on that 
day I took a very fresh specimen of Lycaena meleayer in the Pfynwald, 
the wood which extends from the Rhone bridge almost to Leuk station. 
I have heard more than one collector express disappointment with this 
famous locality, but it has always been after a search between Sierre 
and Pfyn, whereas the real happy hunting-ground is between Pfyn and 
Susten, the little village in which Leuk station is situated. On July 
18th a short walk along the railway bank towards Sion resulted in 
excellent specimens of Pieris daplidice, a couple of Cupido sebrus 3 and 
