76 The Ottawa Naturalist. [Aug. 



delas were secured in much the same situation and in some 

 instances all were taken together, but I observed that limbalis 

 tended to inhabit damper soil, while audubonii and graminea 

 preferred the drier land. The last two are remarkably alike 

 in markings, in fact, are hardly distinguishable, apart from 

 colour. 



On the 22nd, I was out alone over the same ground and 

 captured 19 C. montana; these were secured on the upper bank 

 in dry situations where the vegetation was sparse. They had 

 evidently but recently emerged from hibernating burrows, which 

 accounted for their not having been seen previously. They 

 are an interesting lot, being mostly immaculate and varying 

 from black to bronze and occasionallv greenish. A few more 

 specimens of audubonii, limbalis and obliquata were secured 

 and one graminea. On the 29th, I was along the Elbow in 

 company with Mr. Eastham, of the Seed Branch, but we saw 

 few insects, in fact did not look very hard for them, and only 

 captured a single specimen each of audubonii and montana, both 

 "on the dry dark land which seems to be their natural habitat. 

 On the 30th, I made my last excursion along the Bow with Mr. 

 McDonald, who proved an enthusiastic collector and has a keen 

 eye for natural objects. We found obliquata in vast numbers 

 everywhere and secured several specimens of montana, limbalis, 

 and audubonii and one of \2-guttata. Strange that here this 

 species seems so rare, while at Aweme,Man., it is the commonest 

 of all in just such localities as we passed over. Several of 

 obliquata were noted at this time with their abdomen buried 

 in the soil, evidently depositing eggs, but though we searched 

 over the original ground and elsewhere we found no specimens 

 of graminea, and I strongly suspect that these, in company 

 with others, had congregated along the river banks to pass 

 the winter, as is so often the habit of tiger beetles. When we 

 first came upon them they had just appeared from their winter 

 homes which later they left to return to their summer hunting 

 grounds, but where those are situated is as yet unknown. 

 -That they do go elsewhere and do not associate with audubon ii 

 during the breeding season is to me a stronger reason for separ- 

 ating them than is the net very well marked difference in colour. 

 It is interesting to find three varities so closely allied all in the 

 same localitv, vet even in so small an area each race finds 

 conditions of soil and moisture that it prefers, and consequently 

 separates it from its close allies. 



Few other insects were observed and not more than a couple 

 of dozen species were taken all told. These included a few 

 specimens of Calosoma zimmermanni found burrowing in the 

 earth, a few stoneflies, and the following Orthopt era; Hippiscuf 



