244 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS [Nov., 'iQ 



Kirby, though a few Cocinclla monticola Muls. are often as- 

 sociated with them, and multitudes of the winged ants of the 

 genus Camponotits. The lady beetles and the ants finally 

 perish in such places and through the succeeding years often 

 form considerable accumulations in .the crevices of the rocks. 

 This was noted on the summits of the Tatoosh Range in the 

 Cascades, also on Mt. Tallac and other peaks of the Sierras. 

 Though this tendency of the Coccinellidae to collect on the 

 exposed peaks is injurious to their race and might be classed 

 as a pathological condition, the beetles do have a normal con- 

 gregating instinct which, when directed to more favorable 

 localities, as in sheltered valleys and lower ranges, is a benefit. 

 This normal habit of congregating for purposes of hibernating 

 is however not peculiar to the lady beetles. Among the Cole- 

 optera it is almost equally common among certain Chrysome- 

 lidae and Rhynchophora and is to be found also among the 

 Hemiptera. In fact, the custom of certain species of Cocci- 

 nellidae, Chrysomelidae and Rhynchophora to seek the up- 

 lands and tops of the lower ridges of certain parts of Califor- 

 nia as winter approaches has been so well known to certain 

 entomologists that they purposely do much of their winter 

 collecting in such places. In the clefts of the rocks along the 

 crest of the San Bruno hills, which form the southern bound- 

 ary of San Francisco County, we have often found during the 

 winter months fair assemblages of such beetles as Hippo- 

 damia convergcns Guer., Dison\c!ia maritiina Mann, and Cas- 

 sida nigripes Oliv., and at the bases of the rocks Notiophilns 

 scmiopacus Esch. and Amara aurata Dej. Several of these are 

 only to be found at other times of the year as isolated 

 specimens and never on the ridges. On Mt. Tamalpais. just 

 across the Golden Gate from San Francisco, winter colonies 

 of Phagiodcra prasinclla Lee. and Sitones sordidus Lee. can 

 always be found and T have noted various small colonies of 

 similar beetles on the Berkeley hills as well as on the hills 

 near Los Angeles. The list of species which congregate in 

 various places for purposes of hibernation or aestivation is 

 really quite extensive. 



