204 Natural History Bulletin. 



Leaving Tacoma on the 17th of June, by the steamer 

 "Mexico" the iirst stopping place in Alaska was reached on 

 the 2 1st — the cannery at Yes Bay. Here, while the freight 

 was being discharged, I went ashore hoping to find some 

 good insects, but discovered that work in the Alaska forests 

 was ffoinp" to be a different thincr from that in the States. 

 The land is rugged and hilly, the ground damp and covered 

 with a rank growth of moss while the heavy growth of coni- 

 fers and dense underbrush made it almost an impossibility to 

 penetrate far from the beach. Any branches or other pieces 

 of wood fnat may fall or be left lying on the ground are soon 

 so firmly bound down by the network of roots v.'hich pene- 

 trate or moss that binds as to be nearly immovable, and any 

 insect resting beneath is safe from pursuit. All that could be 

 found were a few Pterosiichtts castanciis, some Staph^^linidos, 

 tw^enty or thirty little moths and a fly or two. The moths 

 were flying about the flowers of the "devil's club" i^Faisia 

 horrida) a rank, heavy plant, covered v/ith pricl:les, scratches 

 from which sometimes cause considerable irritation; it is said 

 to be used bv the natives in the treatment of venereal dis- 

 eases. The stop here was a short one and soon afterwards 

 the steamer touched at Loring Vv'here I got two or three 

 species of Scolytidte flying around newly cut timber. 



The next morning we reached Fort Wrangel which lies at 

 the upper end of Wrangel Island, almost directly opposite the 

 mouth of the Stikine River, in latitude about 56° 28' N. 

 The village lies along a long narrow strip of beach while 

 back cf it rise hills of considerable height covered with a 

 growth of conifers and the usual underbrush. Close to the 

 beach are dense thickets of salmon-berry and thimble-beny the 

 fruits of which are used for food though of rather poor flavor 

 compared wuth berries of more southern 'climates. These 

 thickets are plentifully interspersed with high nettles which 

 make collecting a rather arduous task. 



At Fort Wrangel a cabin was secured and preparations 

 made for a stay of some length as this place was to be my 



