Feb. 1887.] 



AND OOLOGIST. 



29 



An Entomological Tour in the 

 White Mts. 



BV L. E. HOOD. 



Three 5'ears ago last sumiuer 1 packed up 

 my net and cyanide bottle and started for a va- 

 cation trip in the White Mts., collecting nothing 

 but Coleoptera and Diptera during the two 

 weeks tramp among the valleys and mountains 

 south of Mt. Washington. 



My first stopping place was No. Conway from 

 there I went to Glen Station, Upper Bartlett, Be- 

 mis, etc., stopping on my way back at Glen Sta- 

 tion to take a flying trip to Glen House and the 

 Mountains in that vicinity. During the trip I 

 collected upward of one hundred species of Dip- 

 tera and about sixty of Beetles, and was sur- 

 prised to note the close relationship of the 

 Massachusetts fauna to that of the foot- 

 hills of the White Mts. Nearly every species 

 found could have been collected in Newton or 

 Maiden yet, I found some good species and was 

 on the whole satisfied with my trip. 



During my first day at North Conway I was 

 walking near the famous White Horse Ledge, 

 when I noticed a fine specimen of Bombylius 

 flying before me. Having my net ready I care- 

 fully stepped toward it and was on the point of 

 sweeping my net when a Tiger Beetle flew up 

 and settled scarcely a foot from where the fly 

 was resting, both were fine species but as the 

 tiger was of a species new to me, I let the Dip- 

 tera escape and soon had my flrst Cirindela Lon- 

 r/ilabris Say in my cyanide bottle. This is the 

 only specimen I have ever found and that da}' 

 I was a happy man. 



During my stay in the Mountains I only saw 

 three other species of Cirindela, the common C. 

 Vulgaris Say, a single C. punctulata Oliv. 

 and G. purpurea Oliv. which was quite common 

 at North Conway and Upper Bartlett. 



Some fine Scarabaiidie found their way into 

 my collection, also some rare weevils, but I 

 was quite surprised to find the Carabidct' very 

 poorly represented — but this may have been 

 due to the lateness of the season, for in general 

 I think the spring the best time for this fam- 



The BuprestidiB were also rare though I man- 

 aged to catch a few pine and oak borers, among 

 them the pretty Chr i/sohothris Narrisii Hentz, in 

 a pine grove near Mt. Pickering. 



While at North Conwaj' I met with an 

 amusing incident worth mentioning. I start- 

 ed on a walk toward Mt. Kearsarge but soon 

 turned toward my right and as I was crossing 



an open place near a foot-path leading to Look- 

 out point, I stopped to rest and enjoy the lovely 

 scene before me, there below was the town 

 nestling so prettily among the tree covered hills 

 with the White Horse Ledge rising like a senti- 

 nel beyond, while around were the distant 

 mountain peaks, forming a grand frame for the 

 beautiful picture. Before long I turned my at- 

 tention to the insects around me, and the strug- 

 gles of a number of ants trying to drag a dis- 

 abled cricket so interested me, I did not notice 

 a small party of people coming up the hill. Just 

 as I was crawling on my hands and knees to 

 keep up with the ants, a fair looking Ayriliis 

 settled on a stone not far from the end of my 

 nose; at once ants, wearyness of body and all 

 were forgotten, and the sole object of my life 

 was to see that Biiprestidce in my collection. 

 Backing to where my net lay, I surged forward 

 and missed my beetle, who flew rapidly away 

 toward the town, with an eager and excited 

 man in full chase, but woe to him who runs in 

 the mountains with his eyes on a flying bug. 

 I caught my foot in a bramble and pitched head- 

 long down the declivity, landing directlj' at the 

 feet of a lady and two children, who no doubt 

 took me for a madman, for with cries of evident 

 alarm they in their turn started on a run and 

 as I sat up and looked for my hat I heard the 

 lady cry out "Hurry Bessie, Hurry he's com- 

 ing." 



I picked myself up and started towards my 

 hotel, a madder if not a wiser man, but lo that 

 same lady was a guest in that hotel, and I be- 

 gan to see the people eye me with an interest 

 not at all agreeable, and becoming thoroughly 

 disgusted I took the first train foi" Glen Station. 



I only stayed here one day and after 

 gathering in a few water beetles and some five 

 or six species of Chrysomelida', I journeyed on 

 to Upper Baitlett. On my first day at the lat- 

 ter place I killed several snakes, hoping to find 

 some Silphidre under them next day, but only 

 found some Trox and a few Staphylniidaj. 

 Here as at North Conway I found the Chrys- 

 omelida; well represented, and collected several 

 specimens of Lady Beetles, among them 

 a fine Hippoduuiia Parenthesis Sny. 



My third day was devoted to a fishing trip up 

 a brook flowing into the Saco river, and the on- 

 ly thing I caught was a few score black flies 

 and mosquitoes, on the side of my nose and up 

 my sleeves. They had a curious notion that I 

 was tender feeding, I think, for they did not 

 bother my companions in the least but devoted 

 their whole attention to me, perhaps in revenge 

 for killing so many of their friends. 



