LEPIDOPTERA IN THE HAUTES-ALPES: ABRIES. 319 
towards the village, crossing the bridge, going at once along the left 
bank of the river coming down from the valley to the left, past the 
church, and following the mulepath that leads up to a cottage high above 
the valley, and which one sees from the hotel. To do this one must 
start in the early morning, not later than 6.0 a.m. or 6.30 a.m., and 
must not loiter by the road, at least not in the first part of the 
journey. ‘The steep slopes one passes almost at the commencement of 
the journey are well worth a day’s exploration, but we could not find 
the time. We observed here large numbers of Parnassius apollo, 
Satyrus actaea, Melitaea didyma, very dubious Anthrocera lonicerae, and 
many other species. In the early morning, too, the smaller fry was 
in considerable numbers, and a species of Coleophora was in amazing 
abundance flying about the Gnaphalium. The ordinary common 
alpine plumes, too, were in considerable plenty—Mimaeseoptilus copro- 
dactylus, Aciptilia tetradactyla, &c.—and many common Geometrids. 
The object, however, was to get ahead as quickly as possible, and 
hurrying rapidly up through the fields, the cottage was passed, and we 
soon struck the larch wood by keeping to the path, and disturbed almost 
immediately vast numbers of Cleogene lutearia, Acidalia flaveolaria, 
Larentia verberata, Cidaria populata, &e. whilst from the larches, 
millions of Paedisca occultana were dislodged as one brushed the lower 
branches or for a short distance forced one’s way through them. One 
suspects that a steep climb anywhere to the left would bring one 
quickly to good collecting ground, but we could hear the cowbells just 
above us, and we surmised that the slopes might be grazed too closely 
to afford many insects. So we went on through the wood and soon struck 
the water that is carried along the side of the mountain in order to irri- 
gate the meadows through which we had just ascended. Wherever the 
morning sun broke through the trees, a small open space would give an 
abundance of wild flowers, and here E'rebia euryale, Plebeius argus, Argyn- 
nis aglaia, &c., were in great numbers, and Chrysophanus virqaureae, 
Nomiades semiargus, &e., in less abundance. Two or three paths cross 
the stream but we forged right on until we were in the adjoining valley, 
when other villages came into sight below and were left behind. Presently 
the swift stream that has worn this huge valley sent its hum to us, 
and later we see it as it breaks through the rocks, in its turbulent rush, 
after leaving the less rapidly descending slopes at the foot of the Créte 
de Reychasse and the Col Bouchet. Then we had to climb the slopes to 
the right to skirt the fall and cross the stream higher up, yet still some 
considerable distance below the Col. One cannot help noticing here 
that the larches have been practically defoliated by the larve of 
Paedisca occultana. Facing one as the stream is crossed is the Crete, 
and the slopes of this mountain to its summit swarm with alpine 
insect life. In the bed of the stream and high up the slopes Parnassius 
apollo, very like and at first mistaken for P. delius, flies in the greatest 
abundance, and Brenthis pales is everywhere, Argynnis lathonia occa- 
sionally, A. niobe and A. aylaia in great abundance still, as also 
Erebia tyndarus. EH. ewryale has almost entirely been left behind, 
and Melampias epiphron soon appears, with Colias phicomone in great 
abundance, and a few C. palaeno, strangely enough worn, whilst C. 
phicomone is, in the greater number of cases, in excellent condition. 
Pieris callidice flies swiftly by, but the slopes are much too steep to 
hope to capture it. Melitaea didyma still occurs, although one must 
