IQOO] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. 561 



Coleopterous Fauna of Phoenix^ Arizona, and 



Surrounding Regions. 



H. G. Griffith, M.D., Philadelphia. 



The Salt River Valley of Arizona, that part of it in which 

 we were interested, is about 60 miles in length, with an aver- 

 age width of 15 miles. 



The elevation is about 1200 feet above sea-level, surface 

 even, with an inclination of about 10 feet to the mile. 



It is surrounded by mountains, some of which are lofty and 

 quite picturesque. 



In the valley proper the soil is a rich alluvium of varying 

 depths, and by irrigation produces a variety of crops in great 

 abundance. 



Like all the arid regions of the west, there is a variety 

 of climates ; the summer heat sets in early, is intense and long 

 lasting, but not accompanied with any of the pernicious effects 

 noticed in localities nearer the .seaboard. The winters are 

 usually mild. The dryness of the atmo.sphere is perpetual, 

 and all animal and vegetable matters rapidy dessicate. 



The .soils of the desert are of decomposed granitic and lava 

 rock mixed with sand and markedly alkaline, while the me.sas 

 or table lands are composed of rocks and boulders covered with 

 a veneer of soil. 



Central and southern Arizona has a flora peculiar to itself. 

 The cacti, yuccas and agavas are the most prominent. The 

 plains are thickly covered with a great variety of shrubs and 

 bushes ; the grease-wood growing on the driest of the deserts, 

 is the most conspicuous shrub. 



Along the water-courses are a variety of trees, the mesquite, 

 Cottonwood, willow, sycamore and a.sh. At first sight there 

 seems to be much of a sameness in the flora of the plains ; the 

 uniform .sage-green character of the foliage, with a preponder- 

 ance of red and yellow flowers would suggest a limited flora. 



Close examination gives a number and variety of genera and 

 species that is almost a wonder ; what to-day is a boundless 

 barren sand waste, when irrigated by a passing shower soon 

 bursts into full floral beauty and we wonder at the productive- 

 ness of the .soil. 



