1883. J 277 



perished in many places for want of food ; and, in September, the trunks of the 

 trees were covered with the moths closely packed together, and a stone, thrown up 

 so as to strike a branch, brought them out in absolute clouds. Several fine " yellow 

 thorns " were to be found by searching after dark with a lantern, and by beating the 

 pines, &c., many pretty " Carpets," with a considerable number of Tortrices and 

 Tinea, but comparatively few Pyrales, Cramhites, and Pterophori occurred ; the 

 little Alucita folydactyla was very common in the autumn. A considerable number 

 of the local moths were either absolutely identical with, or very closely related to, 

 well-known British species: among others, I may mention, Orgyia antiqua, Miana 

 strigilis, Apamea oculea, Xanthia silago, Gonoptera Uhatrix, Plusia gamma, Jlletro- 

 campa margaritata, Macaria alternata, 3Ielanippe stihtristata, Scotosia chihitata, 

 Eucosmia undulata, Coremia ferrugaria, Cidaria prunata, and immanata, &c. 



The season was too far advanced for most of the CoJeoptera, but I found a good 

 many interesting species, chiefly by tearing the loose bark off felled trees and pine 

 stumps, sweeping being of very little use. Some fine Ulaters occurred, notably 

 Alaus luscus, F., a very handsome species, an inch and a half long, brown, with two 

 large, white-ringed, black eyes on the thorax. Among the Longicorns, I may men- 

 tion, Prionus pocularis ?, not unlike our British species, and another grand Prionid 

 reminding me of the S. European Rhesus serricollis. Two or three good-sized and 

 very handsome green and coppery species of Ancylochira represented the Bupres- 

 tidcB ; Cucujns puniceus, a conspicuous blood-red and exceedingly flattened beetle, 

 turned up under oak bark, where two or three good-sized Heteromera also occurred. 

 A Cicindela, not unlike campestris, was common in muddy places : two very pretty 

 species of Cychrus, and a handsome Carahus with brown wing-cases, occurred in the 

 marshy ground about the lakes, with other Geodephaga : and among other interesting 

 genera I may mention Necrophorus (several species under dead birds, &u.), Aniso- 

 toma, Amphotis, Nosodendron, Anthrihus, Molorchus, (a very fine, large species, of 

 exceedingly wasp-like aspect), Opilus, Sinodendron, &c. A fine, dark brown Longi- 

 corn, not unlike the European Criocephalus rusticus, flew on board the ship in large 

 numbers during several evenings in August, being evidently attracted by the scent of 

 the newly-tarred rigging. 



jjfearly every pine stump in the woods was more or less infested with a large 

 species of Termes ; the " soldiers " being fully an inch long, with huge crooked jaws. 

 The winged forms flew in thousands on still evenings in August just before sunset ; 

 it seemed strange to meet with these insects, usually associated in our minds with 

 the tropics, in lat. 49° N. Orthoptera were exceedingly abundant, one very con- 

 spicuous grasshopper, with bright yellow hind-wings, was remarkable for the noise 

 it made when flying, exactly like a watchman's rattle, and audible, I should say, at 

 100 yards distant. Wasps were most unpleasantly numerous, and, although for the 

 most part small, were particularly fierce and venomous : some of their nests built 

 in trees, were of very beautiful construction, but dangerous to approach, as I found 

 more than once. During September, I beat a good many Lepidopterous larvfe from 

 small oaks, &c., but found a large proportion infested with Dipterous parasites, not 

 one individual of several species being free from them. 



13th December. I have written up this letter at intervals during our voyage 

 from Esquimalt to Callao ; we left on October 29th, and, having encountered very 

 rough weather outside Vancouver Island, we had to put into San Francisco, to 



