No. 385.] THE ARID REGION. 41 
April 28. One tornillo bush showed signs of life. 
By May 11 the mesquite was in full leaf, as also the cottonwood. Lycium 
torreyi was in fruit, but the berries were still green. By May 18 all the 
tornillo bushes were in full foliage, and the mesquites were flowering. 
Miss Mead’s notes are considerably more detailed than the 
above extracts, but it hardly seems necessary to quote them in 
full. Speaking generally, the facts are these: With one or two 
exceptions, the native vegetation is backward, notwithstanding 
the warm weather ; but after the period of the latest killing frosts 
zt comes out with remarkable rapidity, and a couple of weeks 
mark the change from barrenness to verdure. At Mesilla Park 
the domestic honeybee is abroad more or less. even in January, 
but the native bees behave like the native vegetation. That is 
to say, they do not appear at all until late in March; but then 
come on very vapzdly, so as to be very numerous in species and 
individuals early in April. In 1894 the first bees in this vicinity 
were taken on March 26, at Little Mountain; but this is above 
the cultivated area and is warmer than it, the cold air settling 
in the bottom land. On April 9, however, bees were abundant 
at the plum blossoms at Mesilla Park, the genera Osmia, 
Nomada, Synhalonia, Podalirius, Anthidium, Andrena, Prosa- 
pis, Halictus, and Agapostemon being represented. At the 
beginning of May the willows were in flower and attracted 
various bees. 
In 1896 I took two specimens of Halictus pruinosus Rob., 
at Mesilla Park, as early as March 18, and this is my earliest 
date for a wild bee in that locality. By way of contrast with 
the above, we may now consider the state of affairs in Wash- 
ington State. The following meteorological data have been 
kindly furnished by Mr. G. N. Salisbury, of the Weather 
Bureau, at the request of Mr. T. Kincaid: 
(1) Average temperature (F.): 
TATOOSH ISLAND 
(CAPE FLATTERY). SEATTLE. KENNEWICK. 
January > o oe on a 40.6 23.2 
February 41.8 41.0 34.2 
March 45.8 44.6 51.3 
April 47.2 48.5 54-5 
May 51.7 55.0 64.3 
