LEPIDOPTERA IN THE HAUTES-ALPES: ABRIES. 227 
sprung up. The valley is drained by the Guil, the limpid waters of 
which, in the river’s upper course, present a striking contrast with 
those of the muddy Ubaye that drains the valley in which Larche and 
Barcelonette are situated. The valley, so far as we were able to inves- 
tigate it, swarms with insect life, and it is possible that, when attention 
has been drawn to this delightful spot, some other entomologist with - 
longer leisure will visit the place and supplement our poor list with his 
captures. We say “‘ poor’ advisedly, as, during the time (August 9th- 
16th) that we were in the valley, we did a great deal of walking and 
little real collecting. We should say that July would be decidedly a 
better month than August throughout the valley. 
It may be well, therefore, in view of the possibility of further 
investigators visiting this beautiful district to point out the route taken. 
Train to Grenoble (via Lyons or Chambéry), where one changes for 
Veynes, this ride taking one over one of the most remarkable alpine 
railways of which we know. At Veynes, one changes again for Mont- 
Dauphin-Guillestre, a few stations short of Briancon, so that the latter 
part of the route skirts the south-western and southern borders of the 
Dauphiné Alps. Here a diligence meets the train, and a five to six 
hours’ ride up the valley brings one to Abriés, where we stayed at the 
Grand Hétel d’Abriés, an excellent establishment from every point of 
view—new, large, well furnished, comfortable, with all modern sanitary 
arrangements, and a first-class cuisine. Our surprise at finding this 
excellent hotel was great, as it was quite unmentioned in the guide 
books (Baedeker, &c.), although it had been opened three years. 
Nothing that we could say would be too high praise for the treatment 
we received whilst here, or the success attained by the proprietor in 
making his guests thoroughly comfortable. The inns mentioned in 
Baedeker and Murray appear to be very poor indeed; by comparison 
with the Grand Hotel they are quite unthinkable. 
The ride through the valley is something to be remembered. It is 
indeed a picturesque and romantic drive that will long live in the 
memory, characterised by its— 
Deep, deep gorges, where the torrents 
Breathe their murmurs from the gloom, 
And the clashing of the waters 
Rises from a hidden tomb. 
One sees in the Alps occasionally some fine cahons, but those between 
Guillestre and the Chateau-Queyras would require a lot of beating. 
The defiles are, both at the entrance of the valley, and again near La 
Chapelue, of the erandest possible description, only in the former case, 
the road leads high along the side of the mountain, and one looks 
down here and there into the bed of the torrent which is often hidden, 
whilst in the latter case the road runs along by the side of the river, 
and the almost perpendicular rocks rise on either side of the narrow bed 
to a height of from 200ft.-800ft., often, however, overhanging 
considerably and presenting a scene of wild grandeur rarely to be 
witnessed even in these regions. 
The more open slopes that occur between these defiles are clothed 
with sweetest scented lavender, and from the blossoms clouds of Hrebia 
neoridas and Polyommatus escheri take wing, whilst, from the clumps of 
Bupatorium, Callimorpha hera takes its stately flight when rudely 
