THE SMALL MOUNTAIN RINGLET 5I 
cloud across the wing, which is more prevalent in the female. 
In rare cases the ground colour varies from pale ochreous to 
whitish. Gynandrous examples are very rare. 
Genus EREBIA, Dalman , 1816 
THE SMALL MOUNTAIN RINGLET 
Erebia epiphron (Knock, 1783). 
(Plate V, facing page 48) 
Previous to 1809 this little butterfly was unknown in 
Britain. In that year T. W. Stothard discovered it on the 
Red Skees in Westmorland, and it was not known to occur 
in Scotland until 1844, when a large number were captured 
by R. Weaver between June 27th and July 27th at Rannoch, 
Perthshire, at an elevation of 3,000 feet. 
Haunts and Distribution. As its name implies, this butter¬ 
fly is a mountain species ; it frequents damp swampy grassy 
spots on the mountain-side not below 1,000 feet, and becomes 
more plentiful at higher elevations. Moist turfy hollows 
bordering streams are favourite haunts of the Small Mountain 
Ringlet, but it also occurs abundantly on the level swampy 
ground. 
In England it is of local distribution, being confined only 
to the lake district of Cumberland and Westmorland. Its 
chief localities are Red Skees, Langdale Pikes, Stye-Head Tarn 
and Helvellyn. 
In Scotland it occurs in various localities in the neighbour¬ 
hood of Loch .Vennachar, Loch Tay, and Ben Nevis, also at 
Rannoch. 
In Ireland in 1854 E. Birchall discovered this species in 
numbers at Crough Patrick, near Westport, Mayo, and at the 
beginning of this century it was found on Nephin in the same 
county. It is unknown in Wales. 
Abroad, it is widely distributed, occurring on almost all 
the mountain ranges : the Alps, Carpathians, Pyrenees and 
the mountains of France and Germany. 
Time of Appearance. This butterfly is single-brooded ; it 
