PEEFACE. 
ix 
evening the little 8-foot tents were pitched. In the meantime two or three 
specimens not in the best of condition had been captured. P. charltonius 
has a powerful flight, soaring well out of reach, and not often settling, 
excepting on precipitous rocks. As any rapid progress was impossible at 
such an elevation, owing not only to the rarefied atmosphere, but also to 
the precipitous nature of the locality frequented by the butterfly, where a slip 
would have proved fatal, the object in view appeared almost unattainable ; 
the following day, however, by carefully observing the fliglit of the insects it 
was discovered how they were to be circumvented. The day was bright and 
the sun very powerful, but at short intervals squalls of snow and hail 
occurred ; these squalls were not at all appreciated by P. charltonius, who 
promptly sought refuge in the shelter of the rocks. By marking them down 
at the commencement of a storm they could be successfully stalked if in an 
accessible position and brought to net. In this manner a nice long series 
was procured during the next day or two. Parnassius epaplius was very 
abundant at this spot, but it frequents the grass-slopes instead of the cliff's, 
travelling with a jerky flight close to the ground, and is very easy to take ; 
here also Colias eogene was met with in considerable numbers, and a 
magnificent series of the female was taken, of which scarcely two specimens 
were alike and all differed from any examples obtained from other localities. 
In conclusion, I have to thank the many entomologists whose advice and 
assistance have rendered the compilation of this work much less arduous 
than it otherwise would have been. 
J. H. LEECH. 
JanuaiT 1804. 
h 
