72 Journal New York Entomological Society. [Voi. xviii. 



important factors for us were the great forests on the mountain 

 sides, unburned and uncut in some places, with many fallen trees 

 and an accumulation of old leaves that, in favorable localities, cov- 

 ered the ground twelve inches deep. In localities that had been 

 burned, the bare ground is so washed by the torrents of rain that it 

 is swept clean of leaves, stones and sticks and the only shelter that 

 remains for ground beetles is under the bark or within the rotten 

 wood of the fallen trees. In the most exposed situations, the slopes 

 are eroded by these rains to a remarkable extent, and the bare red 

 soil, destitute of vegetation, is most discouraging to the collector. 



The summit of Black Rock, where we spent much time, is a long 

 ridge, rather than a peak, covered with deciduous forest, with un- 

 dergrowth of Rhododendron, Azalea, Andromeda and other shrubs 

 growing out of a mass of old leaves dotted with growths of Galax 

 vines and brilliantly red Lychnis. Hours were pleasantly passed in 

 beating, sweeping and sifting on this summit. At a lower level 

 Chinquapin, the little southern chestnut, was in flower and very 

 productive. From the top of Black Rock, the view to the west and 

 northwest stretches over the valley of the Little Tennessee to count- 

 less similar ridges, all forest-clad and gradually increasing in height 

 until the eye rests on the hazy outlines of the Nantahela Mts. of 

 North Carolina. We did not find these ridges favorable ground for 

 Cychrns, though by hard work a few were caught. As pointed out 

 by Mr. Davis, they prefer the valleys and ravines in the mountains, 

 where the topographic conditions increase the humidity. Wilson's 

 Gap proved our best hunting ground. There, at an elevation of 

 about 3,000 feet, we found a stream running between two mountains 

 through a ravine with steep sides, opening into a flat which was 

 overflowed in part during heavy rains. The trees were two feet in 

 diameter in many cases and plenty of dead ones lay on the moun- 

 tain sides. The ground was deeply covered with old leaves and a 

 heavy growth of shrubs edged the stream and hung over its cascades. 

 In the fallen trees, under the loose bark that came off in sheets, 

 burrowing into the rotten wood beneath the bark, were Cychrus in 

 plenty, once twelve in one log. 



On the map accompanying Dr. Merriam's " Life Zones and Crop 

 Zones " the region we visited appears as the southern extremity of 

 the transition zone. Luxuriant patches of persimmon trees, a small 



