164 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [JunC, 



excellent water. All the hill sides were covered at the tops 

 with pines, and at the lower edges of these pine covered ridges 

 were many flowers. Beautiful purple tinted columbines, sego 

 lilies, vetches, sedum and several species of Compositae. Here 

 too there were butterflies until the approach of evening drove 

 them to shelter. 



The next day we made a long drive through Toponas, a 

 country post-office, and on to Yampa, where the pasturage was 

 so short that we had to hire it for our horses and turn them 

 into the corall, or frequently change their staking ground. The 

 day's journey was through the usual sage brush and marked by 

 the absence of game or insects. In the midst of a small bunch 

 of sage I found a huge cricket which looked so ferocious and 

 snapped so viciously that one hesitated to touch it. Buffalo 

 skulls were seen occasionally, but all good horns had been col- 

 lected long ago. In several moist places were beautiful beds 

 of the fringed gentian, and occasionally along the road would 

 be seen a few blossoms of another species. The western red 

 tailed hawk was common but wary. One of the characteristic 

 birds of this section of Colorado is the sage thrasher. 



At Yampa we were again camped near an excellent trout 

 stream and Will caught nine the first evening. The next day 

 we both tried our hands at the sport and secured a fine string 

 of the speckled beauties, all that we could eat. Here we also 

 restocked our provision boxes and inquired for big game. 

 About the yard in which we camped was a fence some sixty 

 or more yards long made entirely of old elk antlers. To the 

 left in the distance could be seen the Flat Top mountains, the 

 home of elk and deer. In this section it was the usual thing 

 to see near each ranch a meat house. A house built eight or 

 more feet above the ground, and looking much like a large 

 squirrel or dove hoUvSe. This little house is enclosed with wire 

 netting to keep away the flies, and within it the meat is hung 

 exposed to the air. In that dry atmosphere meat will keep 

 almost indefinitely. 



After leaving Yampa, we felt that we were indeed striking 

 into the wilderness. Our instructions carried us to a certain 

 ranch, and from thence we were to take our course entirely by 



