Feb., '03] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. 5 1 



when one finally reached their tops he found great sloping 

 plains, somewhat tilted, to be sure, and covered with grasses, 

 mosses and rocks. These mountain table lands always re- 

 minded us of the descriptions of the tundras or the moor-like 

 expanses so common in Arctic America. 



We started early, hoping to reach the summit in time to see 

 the morning sun awaken the insect world. As we entered 

 a little valley upon which the sunlight rested, and were a short 

 distance beneath the top, we found the first awakening insects, 

 Colias meadii and Par?iassius najius. After pausing a moment 

 here, we followed a miner's trail on up among the rocks, where 

 on one hand it was almost perpendicularly up and on the 

 other down, with the path, a mere line, to separate the two 

 perpendiculars. We were soon in the midst of a wilderness of 

 rocks and winding ever upward, stopping now and then for 

 breath, and on one or two projecting points waving a farewell 

 to the camp — now a dot in the distance marked by two white 

 spots — our tents. We next came to a dividing ridge and 

 could look over on the farther side into another valley, with 

 range after range of mountains in the distance and snow- 

 capped summits everywhere, for what had been rain in camp 

 the day before had been snow and ice a little higher. We 

 paused upon a ledge some ten or twelve feet wide with almost 

 straight descent on either hand. Just beyond a great rock 

 rose, and in its shelter we crouched to escape the wind from 

 the peaks beyond and above us and to enjoy the few moments 

 of sunshine which instantly change these frigid regions into 

 pleasant collecting grounds. Here we found butterflies also 

 enjoying the shelter of the rocks and flitting about the arctic 

 flowers. Lyccsna shasta, Colias meadii, Par nas sins ?iamis and 

 Chrysophanus snowii like such places. Just above us on the 

 slopes of the higher peaks is the home of Chionobas and 

 MelitcEa. Almost immediately clouds began to appear and the 

 sunlight came to us only at rare intervals. We determined, 

 however, to complete the ascent, and were soon finding frozen 

 butterflies resting on the vegetation, and when the sunlight 

 reached these chilled insects w^ saw them begin slowly to flit 

 from place to place. In our pathway and on the sheltered 



