1S99] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. .-) 



RECOLLECTIONS OF OLD COLLECTING GROUNDS. 



By H. F. WicKHAM, Iowa City, loAva. 

 ¥11. — The Vicinity of Colorado Springs. 



TSv'o yeai-s ago, iu company with my wife and a frieud, T 

 spent a few weeks in the mountains of Colorado, Our firet 

 stop was made at Colorado Springh, which we reached on the 

 fifteenth of June, apparently in the very height of the collect- 

 ing season. 



The town lies on the extreme eastern edge of the Rocky 

 Mountain region proper, in a rolling piece of country broken 

 by many small hills which rise to the westward until they are 

 lost in the gi"ander heights of the Cheyenne Mountains and the 

 numerous summits which surround the snow-covered apex of 

 Pike's Peak. The lower levels are covered with the character- 

 istic weeds and shrubs of the arid plains, while at a height of 

 two or three hundred feet above the creek the scrub oaks put 

 in an appearance. The numerous canons which open from the 

 hills support an almost entirely dififerent class of plants, the 

 oaks becoming more plentiful and being intermixed with nu- 

 merous conifere and flowering shrubs. These shrubs often ex- 

 tend out of the mouths of the canons along the courses of the 

 little creeks, and in consecjuence the accompanying insect- 

 fauna which we might otherwise consider as being confined 

 to the mountain i-anges is carried out some distance on to the 

 adjacent plain. 



The altitude of Coloi"ado Springs is approximately 6,000 

 feet. But since it is the most favored summer resort in the 

 State and much freciuented by a class of health and pleasure 

 seekers, business entei-prise has resulted in the construction of 

 railroads or electric lines to many points of interest in the vi- 

 cinity which would otherwise be difficult of access \^-ithout the 

 expenditure of considerable time. Thus it is easy to visit the 

 (rarden of the Gknis, the canons in the Cheyenne Mountains 

 and those near Manitou witliout any great exertion. Some of 

 these are very rich in inset^ts, particularly Williams' Canon, 

 which lies close to Manitou. The railroad to the summit of 

 Pike's Peak oflfei-s a smooth walk for the pedestrian, but the 

 results of our high altitude collecting here, by no means encour- 

 age a recommendation to others w 



While not wishing to present a complete list of our captures 



