Dec., '03] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. 317 



unique method of collecting may be followed here in Oregon, 

 and I presume in any mountainous region where large bodies 

 of snow may be found during the summer. 



To any lover of nature, especially to one who has been 

 reared in the flat prairies of the Middle West, the Pacific 

 Northwest is a veritable paradise, with its scenery grander 

 and more picturesque than words can describe. From almost 

 any opening or slight elevation in the Willamette Valley may 

 be seen, towering above the soft, deep blue of the main Cascade 

 Range, from one to six pinnacles of spotless white upon a 

 background of Italian blue. The average height of the Cas- 

 cades is between 3,000 and 4,000 ft., while the snow caps 

 reach a height of from 8,000 to nearly 12,000 ft. Mount 

 Hood, which is 11,931 ft. high, is the largest peak in Oregon 

 and the one best known to tourists, as it is only about 60 

 miles from Portland, and is more accessible than the others. 

 Unfortunately, at certain seasons the panoramic view of the 

 mountains is hidden by clouds in the winter months, and 

 by smoke and dust during the late summer and fall ; during 

 which seasons the majority of tourists visit this region. The 

 base of the Cascade Range is but a few hundred feet above 

 sea level ; so that these peaks may not be as high in altitude 

 as the Rockies, which start from a base several thousand feet 

 above sea level, yet these peaks of the Cascades are practi- 

 cally as large as any in the Rockies, and the slight isolation of 

 each snow cap makes them much more picturesque. 



It has been my good fortune to make two hurried trips to 

 Mount Hood, including three ascents to the summit. Both 

 trips were made in July, which is the best time for climbing, 

 although the guides take parties up until into September. The 

 distance from timber line [which is usually snow line in mid- 

 summer] to the summit is between four and five miles, the 

 first three of which lead up a very easy incline, almost to the 

 bare rocks kept warm by the steam from the small crater (?) 

 After one walks a short distance over the snow fields, one 

 notices numerous small pits in the snow, which at first appear 

 to contain particles of dirt or pieces of bark. Upon closer 

 observation, the bits of bark turn out to be beetles or SOUK- 



