AMONG THE BUTTERFLIES AND FLOWERS 
OF MAJORCA. 
[Concluded from p. 174.) 
JPJffHHUS ended an expedition which, although full of interest 
[W BB from the entire novelty of our surroundings and the 
unaffected courtesy of the inhabitants, can hardly be 
said to have answered our expectations as regards 
that branch of entomology with which we were mainly con- 
cerned. It is difficult to realise that in ten days’ fairly hard 
work we only saw thirteen species of butterflies. There 
would have been a few more, doubtless, in the early spring, 
and again in the late summer, but the sum total would 
probably be well under thirty. In Corsica, during the month 
of June, we found forty-six species, and from other records 
the total for the year should approach seventy. In .Majorca, 
the scarcity of water and the xerophytic character of the vege- 
tation would certainly aft'ect the conditions of life to an extent 
which might alone account for the discrepancy in numbers, 
since Corsica is intersected by rivers and streams in every 
direction. Geologists tell us also that the Balearic Isles were 
separated from the mainland at a very early period, before the 
first premonitions of the great ice age made themselves felt, 
unless we are to accept the most recent pronouncements of Sir 
Henry Howorth and Sir .Archibald Geikie, the latter of whom 
condemns the glacial theory as “a vague speculation having no 
foundation in physical fact.” In any case, glacial action could 
not have affected the flora and fauna of these Islands ; but 
denudation was probably very considerable, sinking the level of 
the mountains and restricting the faunistic area. The increasing 
dryness of the climate must likewise have acted prejudicially 
on the increase or preservation of existing species. 
It was nevertheless very disappointing not to come across a 
single endemic species of butterfly, nor even any marked forms 
of existing ones : indeed, I could take ten out of thirteen most 
summers in my own garden. And this is the more remark- 
able in that the flora is comparatively abundant and varied, 
numbering about 1,300 species : it is, however, mostly of a 
character that looks hardly conducive to the healthy nourish- 
ment of larvae. And in this connection it just occurs to me to 
wonder, in view of the exceptionally large proportion (as 
observed by us) of males to females, whether there may not, 
after all, be something in Mrs. Hutchinson’s contention that you 
can determine the sex of lepidoptera in the larval stage — high 
feeding for females, starvation for males ; and whether here it 
may not be in operation on a large scale under natural condi- 
tions. Carry this idea a step farther, and with the elimination 
of the female the race drops out of existence ! But it is quite 
time I came ashore. It is so easy to get out of one’s depth ! 
