though no doubt it might be surpassed. I am inclined to think that the fact that the reflector lamps in the verandah were stronger than any other lamps in the station was the reason why the Club was the best place I ever found. After selecting the best specimens and drying them thoroughly, I used to pack my moths the next day, pinned in flat boxes, and send the boxes away by parcel post two or three at a time. During June, July and August that year I sent home 8,000 specimens, which arrived for the most part in perfect condition. Among them were found very many novelties, most of which were described by Sir J. Hampson in his catalogue of Moths in the British Museum.
During the month of July a very welcome break in the rains occurred, of which I took advantage to make a sixteen days’ trip along the Singalela ridge in order to collect butterflies and moths. Though the lower valleys had already been thoroughly ransacked by native collectors and a great number of specimens had been bi ought from the Chumbi and the Lachen and Lachung valleys by natives employed by Mandelli and myself, yet, owing to the lack of sunshine and to the heavy rainfall which usually prevails at this season, the insects of the western frontier of Sikkim above 10,000 feet were very little known. I had an unusually successful trip. I caught a number of new moths both at night and by day, and several new species of butterflies which nearly all belonged to various genera of Satyridæ, such as Zophœssa and Lethe. These are specially numerous, both in species and individuals, in Sikkim, and are almost all inhabitants of the forest at heights varying from 6,000 to 12,000 feet. These butter¬ flies are nearly all dark brown in general tint, with ocelli above and beautiful patterns of waved lines and ocellate spots on the underside; they seem to be more adapted to a sunless climate than other butterflies flying in the shade; and often on dull misty days they would settle in little flocks on the path wherever any ordure or decaying object had been dropped. I also secured numerous day-flying moths belonging to the orders of Sesiidæ and Agaristidæ, many of which are very beautiful. But even up to 12,000 feet, which was about the highest level reached on this occasion, I found few or no insects of the genera which are so abundant at similiar elevations in the mountains of Central Asia and China, such as Parnassius, Colias, Erebia, Oneis, Argynnis, all of which seem in this region to be confined to the dryer, sunnier and, in winter, much colder regions of the frontier of Tibet and the Chumbi valley. The flora of the Singalela range at this season was extremely varied and beautiful. I saw a great number of fine herbaceous plants not seen on my previous journeys, some of which are now fairly well known in our gardens, though many more seem to require a constantly saturated atmosphere, which has been provided only in the Edinburgh Botanic Gardens by means of fixed spraying apparatus. Meconopsis nipalensis in particular formed glorious masses of golden poppy-like blooms which covered acres of open ground, but the beautiful primulas were mostly out of flower. A gentian, G. stylophora, with large yellow flowers as big as a small teacup, was another discovery; but this, though raised from seed by Max Leichtlin, has failed to grow in England. Of lilies I saw only L. giganteum in a few places; bulbous plants generally are scarce. Of
