xxvi INTRODUCTION, 
ting-fu on April 7th. They stayed three clays in the latter place and then 
marched on to Omei-shau, where they arrived on April lUth, and, having 
engaged a number of natives as collectors, continued their journey north- 
wards along the course of the Ya river, passing through Kia-kiang and 
Ya-chow-fu, and thence southwards through Yung-cliing-hsien and Ching- 
chi-hsien. Soon after leaving the latter place they proceeded in a north- 
westerly direction, reaching Ni-tou on April 23rd, and ultimately Ta-chien-lu 
on April 27th. On May 1st Pratt made a trip to the >Snowy Mountains 
lying to the east of the city, returning again to Ta-chieu-lu on the 10th. 
Kricheldorff had, in the meantime, started for Moupin, ten days' journey to the 
E.N E. of Ta-chien-lu. On the 15th of May Pratt made an excursion to the 
Mo-si-mien mountains and established a collecting-station at Pu-tsu-fong, 
returning to Ta-chien-lu on June 14th. During the time he was in the 
mountains the weather was very cold and there were heavy falls of snow. 
Finding that his movements were so hampered by the local Mandarin, who 
objected to his collecting in the country beyond the immediate neighbourhood 
of the city, Pratt determined to leave Ta-chien-lu, which he accordingly did 
on the 21st of July, and made his way to Chia-ting-fu, which place he 
reached on August 2nd, but left it again on August 6th for Omei-shan, 
where he overhauled the collections made by the natives during his absence, 
and visited the lofty summit of Mount Omei, where he remained for 
ten days and secured some interesting Lepidoptera. 
Kricheldorff arrived on August 8th at Chia-ting-fu from Moupin, where 
he had spent the summer, and, although much interfered with by the 
natives, had succeeded in amassing a very fine collection of I^epidoptera, 
the specimens being in beautiful condition. On the 18th of August he 
was rejoined by Pratt. By the 4th of September the natives had brought 
in their various captures, and when everything had been packed and carefully 
stowed away in the boat, a start was made for Ichang, at which place they 
arrived on September 25th, taking on board collections, made by natives in 
the province of Kwei-chow, on the way down. 
I am indebted to Mr. Pratt for the following particulars respecting the 
