214 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS [May, '13 



Collecting Notes from the Great Basin and Adjoin- 

 ing Territory (Dipt., Col.).^' 



By J. M. Aldrich, Moscow, Idaho. 



In the summer of 191 1 I traveled about 5000 miles in a 

 62-day expedition having for its main object the study of the 

 insects found in and about the western salt and alkaline lakes. 

 Although I have published four articles on my results and 

 have another in press, there are so many facts of entomologi- 

 cal interest remaining that a more general discussion of the 

 theme seems to be required. Much of my material outside the 

 Diptera still remains unidentified, hence it is even yet im- 

 possible to give a list of the species collected. Nor do I think 

 such a list wholly desirable, as it would contain only here and 

 there a species of real interest, nine-tenths being compara- 

 tively common and widespread insects. The better way would 

 be to enumerate only species not heretofore known in the ter- 

 ritory under consideration, or those whose distribution is little 

 understood. This plan will be pursued with the Diptera, while 

 other orders must wait indefinitely. 



The first three weeks of the trip were spent with a farmers' 

 institute party from the University of Idaho, to whom had 

 been assigned a schedule of institutes mostly in rather out-of- 

 the-way places. Our itinerary took us to Payette Lake and 

 down Long Valley to the southward, a fine collecting ground 

 for all kinds of insects, and now becoming accessible through 

 the construction of a branch railroad from Nampa. We were 

 there too early, about June 20 ; nearly a month later would 

 have been better. The valley is bordered on both sides by 

 heavily timbered and snow-capped mountains, the summits 

 being only a few miles from civilization, ideal for entomolog- 

 ical work. Along the main line of the Oregon Short Line as 

 we progressed eastward there is nothing of especial interest 

 in the way of a collecting ground until Pocatello is passed. East 

 of this point the railroad enters a mountain valley, and the 

 entomological field is highly interesting until the Wyoming 

 line is reached. We left the railroad at Montpelier and made 



*Part of the results of an investigation made by aid of an appro- 

 priation from the Elizabeth Thompson Science Fund. 



