354 BRITISH BUTTERFLIES. 



it at the edge of a very scanty wheatfield, over 4,000 feet up in the 

 Apennines at Roccaraso, and also at Palena, in the same district, in a 

 miniature gorge watered by a tiny stream. In Russia, Eversmann 

 speaks specially of the spurs of the Urals as a favourite habitat of this 

 species, whilst Assmuss remarks that in the neighbourhood of Tambow 

 it is not uncommon in woodlands and (oddly enough) in gardens. 

 In her interesting accounts of her expeditions in Bosnia and 

 Bulgaria, published in the Ent. Record, Mrs. Nicholl several times 

 mentions the occurrence of this species. She remarks, for instance, 

 that in the former country it occurs in a marvellous butterfly corner 

 in the Rilska valley, where granite blocks have rolled down from the 

 precipices on a sheltered meadow at the foot of the woods, the broken 

 ground now overgrown with all kinds of flowering weeds, and inter- 

 sected by a tiny stream, forming a sort of natural rock work, the best 

 butterfly corner found in Bulgaria ; here, on June 26th, 52 species of 

 butterflies were taken before 3 p.m., for flying with L. avion were L. 

 alcon, GlaucopsycJie cyllarus, Cyaniris semiargus, Celastrina argiolus, 

 Polyonnnatus eroides, P. icarus, P. escheri, Aricia medon, A. eumedon, 

 Agriades bellargus, Scolitantides orion, Heodes virgaureae, Chrysophanus 

 hippothoe, Loiveia dorilis, L. alciphron, Rumicia phlaeas, Callophrys ritbi, 

 Parnassius mnemosyne, Colias edusa, C. myr.mid.one, Aporia craiaegi, 

 etc., etc. L. avion, she observes, also occurred commonly on the 

 Leva Reka, at 5,000ft. elevation, the specimens very bright and blue, 

 where also Brenthis euphrosyne swarmed in the brushwood, and Colias 

 myrmidone, Melitaea dictynna and Hesperia serratulae were also taken. 

 It also occurred on July 6th at the bottom of the valley near the 

 mouth of the gorge, where Parnassius apollo was just out, and Colias 

 hyale, C. myrmidone, Erebia ligea, Melitaea trivia, Brenthis hecate, 

 Aricia eumedon and other species were taken. In Bosnia she found the 

 species on a plateau about 4,500ft. in height on the Vlasic Planina, 

 above Travnik, where there are mountain meadows and much brushwood, 

 among Brenthis hecate, Aricia eumedon and \a>v.fylgia, Cyaniris semiargus, 

 Lycaena iolas, Polyonnnatus amandus, Coenonympha iphis, etc. And again 

 on July 16th, 1901, on the frontier of Bosnia and Montenegro, 

 between Focha and Celebic the species occurred where the forests 

 alternated with mountain-meadows, brilliant with flowers and swarming 

 with insects. Among others that occurred with L. avion, were L. areas, 

 Polyonnnatus anteros, P. amanda, Agriades meleayer, A. covydon, A. 

 bellaryus, Chrysophanus virgaureae, C. hippothoe, Coenonmypha iphis, 

 Parnassius apollo, Apatura ilia, Limenitis populi, Vanessa io, Melitaea 

 maturna, Brenthis amathusia, B. ino, etc. Of the habitats of this 

 insect in Asia no account appears to have been published, but judging 

 from the localities from which it has been reported they would seem in 

 all probability to be very similar to those which it affects in Europe. 



Distribution. — This species had formerly a fairly wide distribution 

 over the southern half of England, though probably absent from 

 the south-east, for which only a doubtful record exists for the county 

 of Kent. It has never been reported from Scotland or Ireland, nor, 

 indeed, farther north in England than Rutlandshire, and only a 

 doubtful record exists from " North Wales." There were, in fact, 

 three principal centres round which it was distributed, viz., 

 Northamptonshire, Gloucestershire, and Devon and Cornwall. Its 

 former haunts in Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire (if authentic), 



