]^g99] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. 121 



however, one sees a long broad stretch of tillable land extend- 

 ing downward along the course of the Arkansas, and the num- 

 erous farms which dot the landscape show the neighborhood 

 a well-settled and thriving one. 



The altitude of this valley, in the vicinity of Buena Vista, 

 is between 7,900 and 8,000 feet. The soil is sandy, often grav- 

 elly or stony, the waste places covered more or less thickly by 

 a growth of scrubby pine, the open spots supporting a flora 

 more characteristic of the plains than of the mountains. The 

 creek bottom is grown up with willows and cottonwoods, and 

 has a sufficiently deep layer of dead leaves and forest mould 

 to harbor many species of beetles which would certainly not 

 be met with on bare sands. Cottonwood Creek, as it is called, 

 is a clear stream, in favorable contrast to the Arkansas, which 

 is a muddy yellow torrent rushing along at the bottom of a 

 rocky gorge, affording at this place none of those broad reaches 

 of damp meadow often so prolific of insects. A number of 

 small marshes exist in the neighborhood of town,however, and 

 help to give variety to the collecting. 



In Cicindelidse we found but few species ; one example of 

 C. vulgaris was picked up dead and proved to represent the 

 form obliqiiata with extremely wide markings. C. repanda was 

 rather common. C clnctipennis was taken at one spot only, 

 along a sandy little -frequented road in the creek-bottom, not 

 close to the water however. By dint of hard work the three of 

 us managed to get about seventy specimens during the course 

 of the morning. It is less shy than many of the larger species, 

 though not particularly easy of capture. The series shows a 

 wonderful range of variation in elytral markings, though none 

 approach the form imperfecta very closely. They are all ob- 

 scure or blackish above, none showing the brilliant green tints 

 which are to be seen on specimens from Arizona. 



Some of the Carabidae are well worthy of note. Under logs 

 among the cottonwoods we got Carabus oregionensis and C. ser- 

 ratus, though bat sparingly. Two species of Elaphrus, one of 

 which is elairvillei, the other doubtfully lecontei, were found in 

 marshy spots. A number of BemUdium were captured on 

 muddy banks of large pools near the railroad tracks ; they 

 were mostly bimxGulatum, lucidtim, fwscicrum,. nitidum, nebras- 

 Jcense, nigripes, prcecinctum and dubitans, the first three rather 



