—70— 



The Faunal Limits of the United States. 

 By Geo. D. Hulst. 



As the result of the collections and observations of Mr. E. A. Schwarz 

 in Southern Florida last year, there has been, if we judge from the reports 

 of their meetings, considerable discussion among our Washington Ento- 

 mologists on the above subject. The opinion seems to h3,ve almost un- 

 animously prevailed that the Fauna of Southern Florida ought to be cre- 

 dited to the West Indies, rather than the United States. 



There is little probability however that this course will ever be carried 

 out in the making up of our Faunal Lists, ist, from a sort of patriotism 

 people regard their country as a unit and cherish all that is of their own 

 country ; and as a consequence, nothwithstanding the vast reach of our 

 country, very few Americans there are, who are, even in the sense of tak- 

 ing the great divisions of the country, local collectors. Southern Florida 

 will have its place as American in our collections and must go in our 

 lists. 2nd, Faunal boundaries are so artificial and irregular that natural 

 limitations ought to be taken even though they do not wholly correspond 

 with the facts of the case. Thus the White Mountains of New Hamp- 

 shire and the high Rockies and Sierras ought to have their insects credited 

 to our Fauna and so put in our lists, though they are essentially Arctic. 

 And thus in the future as in the past, the Florida Straits will probably re- 

 main to be the Southern boundary line of our Fauna. 3rd, It may be 

 questioned whether Southern Florida is essentially tropical. It may be 

 a fact that the majority of the species are connected with the Tropics, but 

 it may be properly inquired, is this comparativelv the truth. It is possible 

 that it may have half the species found in New England, and while a 

 majority of its species are found in the West Indies it may not have per- 

 haps one quarter of those found in Cuba. It thus may be comparatively 

 more like New England than the West Indies. 4th, Southern Florida is 

 essentially situated much as Mt. Washington is in New Hampshire, that 

 is it is cut off from its faunal connections. It is by the Everglades al- 

 most entirely separated from the country which otherwise would probably 

 give it the majority of its species, and it may not be unfair to locate it 

 with the accident of real separadon taken into account. The Everglades 

 probably form a greater barrier than the Straits. 5th, If Southern Florida 

 is thrown out of our Faunal Lists, so must we throw out South Western 

 Texas, Southern New Mexico, Arizona, and California. And on the other 

 hand a long reach of the Mountain Region of Mexico must be taken in 

 with our Fauna. It seems that though the line of National Boundaries 

 m this case is not the line which would be selected by Naturalists as the 

 true boundary line of our Fauna, it comes pretty near the truth ; if 

 Naturalists were to map out the line perhaps no two would agree as to 

 where the faunal line should be drawn. And it probably would have to 

 resolve itself into a case of "lettins- well enoug:h alone." 



