Insects. 993 



seldom out of the cultivated districts. C. Phiconome is local, but is 

 very abundant near a little lake at the base of the Blunulis Alp, near 

 Kandersteg, the locality mentioned by Meisner, and also in the 

 meadows between the baths of Loeche and the foot of the Gemmi. 

 They fly, as Meisner says, in the early part of the day with great 

 rapidity ; so great, indeed, is their speed of flight, and mostly 

 straight onwards in an undeviating line, that I soon relinquished the 

 hope of overtaking them on so rough a course, — and, remaining sta- 

 tionary till they crossed me, took as many as I chose, for they were 

 flying in hundreds near the little lake I have mentioned. 



During the whole of my tour I saw only one single hairstreak 

 (Thecla Betula). 



Of the coppers, L. Virgaureae was in abundance and great beauty 

 in several of the elevated valleys, and also on the mountain sides to 

 an elevation of three thousand feet. It is a beautiful sight, indeed, 

 to see this gem of a butterfly under a brilliant sunshine. 



Of the blues, I did not see so many as I expected. Several spe- 

 cies, which Meisner mentions as occurring in the Vallais, were no 

 where to be found. P. Eumedon I saw but once near the Mer de 

 Glace, at Grindenwald. P. Arion was on several of the mountain 

 sides, but it never looks as if in perfection. The lovely P. Damon 

 was in numbers by the side of the road which leads from the baths 

 at Loeche to Leuk in the Vallais ; the females were not upon the 

 wing, but I got several by brushing the grass with my net. 



The white admirable, L. Sibylla (L. Camilla of English authors), 

 first made its appearance June 29th, by the side of a road which 

 leads from Interlachen to the Lake of Thun ; it was afterwards seen 

 on the woody mountain slopes above Leuk, and also above Brieg, by 

 the side of the Simplon road. It is apparently scarce. 



The Fritillaries, Argynnis Paphia, Aglaia, Adippe and Niobe, 

 were in most places in about equal numbers ; the beautiful Ama- 

 thusia was confined to the neighbourhood of the little lake at the 

 head of the valley of Oeschinen, near Kandersteg, the richest as well 

 as one of the most beautiful and sublime scenes in Switzerland. I 

 took it there on the 14th of July, and, on the same day, a single spe- 

 cimen of A. Pales, which usually flies much higher on the moun- 

 tains, and was afterwards seen, in passing the Gemmi, at an elevation 

 of six thousand feet. 



A. Ino was abundant in the meadows round the baths at Loeche. 

 The very beautiful Melitaea didyma was taken at Loeche on the 21st 



iii 3 L 



