WICKHAM THE HABITS OF AMERICAN CICINDELID^. 221 



ton and noticed it swarming about road pools between Alice and 

 Brownsville, Jnne and July. It is quite easily captured. I have very 

 seldom seen any tiger beetle in such great swarms as this. 



C. tenuisignata Lee. I have found it commonly on muddy banks 

 of pools during July, in the vicinity of the Colorado River at The 

 Needles, California. It was also taken rarely at Columbus, Texas, in 

 company with rectilatera and sperata. 



C. piinctulata Fabr. Chiefly taken on dry ground. I find it most 

 abundant in roads through loamy soil where the color harmonizes with 

 the surroundings. Still it often occurs on dry sand, in the same local- 

 ities frequented by generosa and lecontei, while in Colorado it is 

 abundant on city lots in Denver during the month of July. It is said 

 by Schaupp to be common "in the streets of some of our large cities." 

 C. micans Fabr., the western type, runs closely into piuictulata, both 

 in color and habits. Often both forms occur together, running in the 

 bright sunshine over bared spots (as at Colorado Springs) in pastures 

 or along roadsides during June, July and August. Nearly dried beds 

 of rain-pools seem to be favorite situations for micans in the arid 

 regions. In Arizona and New Mexico I often saw it by the sides of 

 the railroad tracks. Prof. Townsend took it at Las Cruces (June and 

 July) and Zuni (July 29), New Mexico, on bare sand or soil, occa- 

 sionally amongst weeds. It is quite shy and flies very readily. In 

 Iowa I have ioxind. punc/ulata at electric lights. 



C. tortuosa Dej. This species occurs on muddy banks or flats, 

 especially if saline, and along the sea shore. It is the commonest 

 tiger on the sand beaches of the Bahama Islands, but seemed rarer at 

 Key West. If the beaches are muddy, thus unfitting them for dorsalts, 

 that species is often found to be replaced by tortuosa. Mr. Soltau 

 found it on muddy creek-banks near Mobile, Alabama, and on the 

 shores of Lake Pontchartrain, Louisiana. The Californian variety, 

 sigmoidea Lee, has been seen in thousands by Mr. Fall on ocean 

 beaches of the southern part of the state during August. Dr. Blais- 

 dell took it commonly on dark sand and mud of bays, sometimes in 

 company with hainon-hagica and hirficollis, at San Diego. 



C. dorsalis Fabr. Mr. Kemp finds it in great abundance "along 

 the ocean front along the New Jersey coast. It inhabits the sand 

 beaches from the tide line down to the edge of the water, whether 

 high or low tide, during the heat of the day. It never gets far enough 



[Proc. D. A. N. S., Vol. VII.] 27 [February 18, 1899. J 



