THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 269 



THE ORTHOPTERA OF WESTERN CANADA. 



BY THE EDITOR. 



The Orthopterous fauna of Western Canada \va?, until a comparatively 

 few years ago, almost unknown. Several papers, however, have appeared 

 within recent years, which have added considerably to our knowledge of 

 the Canadian species of this order, and during the past four years the 

 writer has examined nearly a thousand specimens from a large number of 

 localities in the four western Provinces, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta 

 and British Columbia, and a good deal of light has thus been thrown 

 upon the distribution of many species. It seems best, therefore, to bring 

 together in a single paper all the information available on the distribution 

 of Orthoptera in these four Provinces. 



The collections examined by the writer, but not yet reported upon, 

 were made chiefly by Prof. W. J. Ale.Kander, of Toronto ; and Messrs. N. 

 Criddle, Aweme, Man. ; T. N. Willing, Regina, Sask.; and N. B. Sanson, 

 Banff, Alta. Aly thanks are due to all of these gentlemen for generous 

 gifts of specimens or the loan of material for study, but especially to Prof. 

 Alexander, who, although not an entomologist, devoted a large part of a 

 two months' trip through the Canadian West to the collection of Orthoptera 

 for the writer's cabinet, and although without any experience in collecting 

 insects, succeeded in taking some 400 specimens, representing 40 species. 



Prof. Alexanders trip was made in September and October, 1906, 

 and his collecting was almost all done at the various stations along the 

 Canadian Northern and Canadian Pacific Railways. As with few excep- 

 tions not mure than a day was spent at any station, a list of the stations, 

 with the dates on which the collecting was done, is given below, in order 

 to avoid the necessity of repeating these dates in the list of species. 



List of localities and dates of capture of specimens taken by Prof. 

 Alexander in 1906 : 



Manitoba: Carman, Sept. 6 ; Swan River, Sept. 8; Elkhorn, Sept. 

 13 ; Gilbert Plains, Sept. 18 ; Grandview, Sept. 18. 



Saskatchewan: Findlater and Condie, Sept. 10; Yellow Grass and 

 Pasqua, Sept. 12 ; Moosomin, Sept. 13 ; Kamsack and Kuroki, Sept. 19; 

 Langham, Radisson, Vonda and Weyburn, Sept. 20 ; Medicine Hat, 

 Sept. 26. 



Alberta: Vermilion, Sept. 21 ; Ponoka and Red Deer, Sept. 24; 

 Calgary, Sept. 25 ; Lethbridge and Macleod, Sept. 27. 



August, 1910 



