1S93] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. 25I 



our evenings at the Summit House are very pleasant ones, espe- 

 cially when, as happened this time, there are several of congenial 

 tastes and pursuits. By a happy chance there were six of us this 

 time, all enthusiasts in our lines. Two were botanists, the Boston 

 one who had aided me, on my arrival, in what might be called 

 my house hunting, and another also from Massachusetts, and just 

 now devoted to the Sphagnacese. This last, for lack of a better 

 title, we styled the sphagnostic. Then there were two zoologists 

 at this time looking up certain small rodents with unpronounce- 

 able names. These last scattered their little wire traps all over 

 the grand old mountain, and so we dubbed them the trappists. 



The weather was favorable through most of the week. Of 

 course there was some fog, some wind, and a little rain. But we 

 had intervals of sunshine and clear skies and made use of them, 

 and in that one week, from Friday to Friday, I took about six 

 hundred insects. This far surpasses any record I have ever made 

 here hitherto. But the season had been exceptional, with much 

 warm weather and much less wind than is usual, so I was told. 

 Then I was aided in my collecting by so many willing hands. 

 Every one contributed something. The trappists never went out 

 to set or examine their traps without bringing back some ento- 

 mological treasure, and the botanists shook out from their tin 

 cases live beetles and bugs they had captured while gathering 

 alpine plants. All the good people of the hotel interested them- 

 selves in the matter, and added to my collection hourly. From 

 the managers to the youngest bell-boy all contributed, and even 

 old Med, the grand St. Bernard, sniffed at every fly that buzzed 

 around his massive head and seemed to question its desirability 

 as a specimen. Nearly all my own personal collecting was done 

 upon the very summit, quite near the house. I went once down 

 as far as the "Alpine Garden," but generally spent my day in 

 hunting nearer home. Under stones all over the cone were three 

 or four species of Carabidae in great numbers. Here I found 

 Pterostichus vindicatus, P. coracimis, Amara hyperborea, a Pa- 

 trobus, probably rugicollis, and Nebria sahlbergii. 



In Austin's list of 1874 he calls Amara hyperborea " decidedly 

 the most abundant species under stones." I have never found 

 it so, and this season took but three or four specimens in all. 

 Pterostichus vindicatus was far the most plentiful of the species I 

 have spoken of Patrobus rugicollis {f) was also common. This 



