THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 37 



COLLECTING NOTES ON KANSAS COLEOPTERA. 



P.V W. KNAUS, MCPHERSON, KS. 



An experience of eighteen years in collecting Coleoptera in Kansas 

 would naturally lead to the discovery of several good collecting grounds, 

 and to many interesting observations on the abundance or scarcity of 

 certain species for one or more years. 



I have found my most interesting and profitable ground on the salt 

 marshes or flats of Wilson County in South-eastern Kansas, and Republic 

 and Mitchell Counties in North Central Kansas; in the valleys of the 

 Verdigris River in Wilson County, of the Republican River in Jewell 

 County, the Smoky Hill River in Wallace County, and the Arkansas 

 River in Hamilton County ; the two latter in extreme western Kansas. 



I have also collected for years at the electric lights at McPherson. 

 Another most interesting and profitable locality is in the sand hills 

 twenty miles south-west of McPherson. In these sand hills I have taken 

 during the past eight years Cicindela sciitellaris, formosa and veimsta, 

 all beautiful species ; Stephaiiucha pilipennis, Kraatz, one of the rarest 

 Scarabeids ; Serica curvata, Lee; Canthoii nigricornis^ Say; Ammodotms 

 fossor, Lee, and Chalcodermus coliaris, Horn. I took from the electric 

 lights last season for the first time a few specimens of Stetiomorp/nis 

 rufipes, Lee, a south-western species, but never recorded as taken in 

 this State. McPherson is probably near its northern limit. I also took 

 at the electric lights in June of last year for the first time, four specimens 

 of Lac/inosierna spi'eta, Lee, the first capture of this species in this 

 State. Another rare species taken at the lights was Lachnosterna Ulkei, 

 Smith, but only two or three specimens were captured. Lachnosterna 

 bipartita, Horn, was taken in considerable numbers, both at the lights 

 and in early evening flight. Another beetle taken sparingly at the 

 electric lights in May and June was Nothopus zabroicies, Lee ; this place 

 is probably near its south-east limit. Platynus Texanus, Lee, also 

 occurred sparingly at the lights for the past two years. Each year a few 

 of the handsome Eretes sticticus, Linn., are also taken from the electric- 

 light globes. 



One of my most interesting collecting grounds is at the range of 

 sand hills parallel to the Arkansas River in Reno County, and about eight 

 miles north of the river. These hills or dunes are blown about by the 

 wind, and in many places are excavated by the air currents to a depth of 

 seventy-five to one hundred and fifty feet, and the fine white sand is 



