202 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [October, 



NOTES ON THE ENTOMOLOGY OF COLORADO-I. 



By T. D. A. COCKERELL. 



Notwithstanding the large amount of descriptive matter in our 

 literature, relating to the insects of Colorado, the information 

 available about the distribution of the species is very slight. Un- 

 less one has visited the State, I suppose it must be difficult to 

 realize the enormous differences of country and climate, and cor- 

 respondingly different faunae, comprised within the boundaries 

 of Colorado. Until recently, at least, it seems to have been the 

 general opinion that to cite " Colorado" as the locality of a new 

 species was enough, and so lately as May of the present year I 

 find a new insect described with no better indication of the habitat, 

 although it was received from Prof. Gillette, who would presu- 

 mably have given the proper details for the asking. In the fol- 

 lowing notes I give, indeed, but scanty information about a tew 

 localities in the State; but such as it is, it may serve to indicate 

 some facts which could not be gleaned from what has hitherto 

 been published. I wish that others could be persuaded to follow 

 the same lines of investigation, so as to substitute a fairly com- 

 plete account for the present fragmentary records. For the iden- 

 tification of the insects referred to in this and future notes of the 

 series, I have been greatly indebted to Mr. Ashmead, Dr. J . 

 Hamilton, Prof. C. V. Riley, Mr. Hy. Edwards, Mr. W. H. 

 Edwards, Dr. Horn and the U. S. National Museum. Unless a 

 statement is made to the contrary, it is always to be understood 

 that the imago is referred to, as is usual. In addition to the lo- 

 cality and the date, I have found it an excellent plan, especially 

 if one has no aneroid, to note some of those forms of animal or 

 plant life in the locality, which indicate the climate and altitude. 

 Sometimes trees, etc., occur on mountain-sides in singularly well- 

 defined zones; thus coming down from the head of Surface Creek 

 to the Gunnison River, in Delta County, on the 5th of October, 

 1887, I noted the following zones : 



(1) Zone of Spruce (Picea engelmanni Parry). 



(2) Quaking Asp (Populus treinnloides Michx.). 



(3) Oak Scrub (Quercus undulata Torr.). 



(4) Cedars (Juniperus virginiiuia L.) and pifions (Pinus cdntis}. 



(5) Sage brush (Artemisia). 



(6) Greasewood (Chenopodiacecs). 



I have nowhere else found the zones quite so well marked, or 



