140 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATURAL [April, 1887. 
a stratum only a few feet thick (Lyell). In places the stratum 
is black with the remains of insects. The same stratum is also 
full of leaves of Dicotyls , of which Heer has described 500 
species. Mammalian remains and fishes are also found in them. 
" It is interesting to inquire the conditions under which these 
strata were formed and filled with these remains. On Lake 
Superior, at Eagle Harbor, in the summer of 1844, we saw the 
white sands of the beach blackened with the bodies of insects 
of many species, but mostly beetles, cast ashore. As many 
species were here collected in a few days, by Dr. J. L. he Conte, 
as could have been collected in as many months in any other 
place. The insects seem to have flown over the surface of the 
lake, to have been beaten down by winds and drowned, and 
then slowly carried shoreward and accumulated in this harbor 
and finally cast ashore by winds and waves. Doubtless at 
OEmngen, in Miocene times, there was an extensive lake sur- 
rounded by dense forests, and the insects drowned in its waters 
and the leaves strewed by winds on its surface were cast ashore 
y its waves.” Mr. Le Conte goes on to state that of these 900 
species of CEningen insects over 500 were Coleoptera. 
While m Rochester, N. Y.,I visited the beaches of Lake On¬ 
tario with a view to seeing whether like phenomena occurred 
here. Once I observed a vast number of a Curcurljonid, since 
known to feed on the red clover, clinging to the stones and peb- 
thp n YQ TT ly a ^at a similar distribution to 
»u„r ? eS °",. “ ,“ C ” n:ing aIo »K ‘he take shore of on, 
county, al so obtains along the entire shore line o( the Gmt 
and lor, ,T° “T C “ * tafluence on the inland faun. 
»d lelTh , y thUS di " i “ ishi “s the number of individuals 
them rim .mb ~ 1 ' V: " "" suc h great numbers, or by increasing 
Stoilt ther f*' »f extr.liniital species. 
tation in this distribution and I “ ?‘ ,ga ‘ ,on .. 
tvho visit the lake beaohi the coming <iarneStI, 
note an, fact, ,vhich M ay prove of value “ *° 
