634 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF [DeC.^ 



MIOCENE FOSSIL INSECTS. 

 BY T. D. A. COCKERELL. 



The miocene insect beds at Florissant, Colorado, continue to 

 furnish numerous undescribed species, and the time is still distant 

 when it will be appropriate to bring all the data together in a single 

 monograph. - To illustrate the wonderful richness of the Florissant 

 shales, it is sufficient to mention Professor H. F. Wickham's collection 

 made in 1912 at the Wilson Ranch. In an excavation about 20 feet 

 long and 6 feet deep he obtained over 90 species of Coleoptera, of 

 which at least 40 were new. In addition to this. Professor Wickham, 

 my wife, and I secured various species of other groups in this same 

 excavation, so that probably there will be in all not less than 60 new 

 species. This particular spot had been looked over several times in 

 previous years by University of Colorado expeditions, but had 

 yielded nothing of particular value, because only the surface was 

 examined. On digging into the hill, the remarkable collection just 

 mentioned was secured. There can be no doubt that the Florissant 

 shales are practically inexhaustible; but it is unfortunately true that 

 many good fossils, some doubtless of species which will never be 

 found again, have been collected and lost or placed where they are 

 unlikely to fall into the hands of competent students. Even in the 

 larger museums there are still many undescribed Florissant species, 

 and it will be some years before we have a complete account of the 

 materials already gathered and in safe custody. 



In Europe, the locality which we naturally compare with Florissant 

 is ffiningen in Baden. The beds, which I have examined so far as 

 their present condition permits, are not, strictly speaking, at CEningen, 

 but above the village of Wangen, on the Rhine. They are doubtless 

 extensive, and would yield much of value if reexcavated, but they 

 have been neglected for many years. Various European museums 

 contain CEningen insects, but by far the richest collection is that of 

 Heer at Zurich. Heer estimated that he knew 844 species of fossil 

 insects from ffiningen, but only 464 ever received published scientific 

 names. Of these no less than 250 were Coleoptera, but Professor 

 Wickham records 494 described beetles from Florissant. Eighty 



