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Psyche 8:160-167, 1897.

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160 PS 2/"CHB.
[January 1898.
first entomological paper was entitled
Descriptions of new North American
Coleoptera in the cabinet of the Ento-
mological society of Philadelphia ' and
was published in the Proc. acad. nat.
sci. Phila., for 1860, p. 569-571. In
the beginning his original work shows
unmistakably his inexperience, but his
great keenness and a true appreciation of the structural differences that character- ize species soon became manifest, and is evident in most of his future publica-
tions. Dr. Horn was a rapid, accurate
worker, a painstaking and careful delin- eator, His contributions number more
than 150 important papers, in addition
to very many minor notes; in these
papers about 150 genera and more than
r̤ species are defined, and very few
in either series are to be ranked as
synonyms.
With but little interest in, and
hardly enough appreciation or even
toleration for, many lines of study,
Horn's monographic work stands with
the very best of his time, and though
the death of Leconte, in 1883, was
considered a calamity to his special
branch of science, it may well be
doubted if the death of Horn in 1897
is not a greater loss. Leconte left a
well-equipped successor in Horn, but
the successor of Horn is not yet appar-
ent, and to be worthy of the place must
follow closely along the lines so clearly marked out by the well-directed labors
of John Lawrence Leconte and George
Henry Horn.
PACIFIC COAST COLLECTING. -I.
BY ALBERT PITTS MORSE, WELLESLEY, MASS.
At the suggestion and with the coop-
eration of Mr. Samuel H. Scudder of
Cambridge, Mass., I undertook last
summer a collecting trip to the Pacific
Coast of the United States to secure the Orthoptera inhabiting the region be-
tween the Sierra Nevada mountains and
the sea. At his request I have put
together a few notes which may prove
of interest to entomologists contemplat- ing a trip to that part of the country.
Of course, so great an extent of ter-
ritory could be examined but superfi-
cially in one summer, but even this had
never been done with special reference
to the Orthoptera. And although twelve
weeks were devoted to the task it was
found impossible to do more than make
a cursory examination of the most
important points directly on the through line of the railroad, and a few short
side-trips to places that promised well. Had it been possible I should have vis-
ited several more points situated in less accessible but very interesting localities. The same amount of time could be
profitably spent upon a much smaller
area. Unless it be necessary to exam-
ine, however hastily, a large field the
best method is to remain in each locality visited until its various features are
adequately covered.




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January 1898.1 PSYCHE. 161
Route.
My route was as follows:
Leaving Boston Jiily 21 an all too brief stay of a few hours in Washington
enabled me to secure valuable sugges-
tions from people more or less familiar
with the country to be traversed. From
thence my route led by way of Atlanta
and New Orleans direct to El Paso,
Tex., from which point I paid a short
visit to Prof. Cockerell at Mesilla, N.
M., in the midst of an exceptionally rich and interesting fauna. Returning to El
Paso an all-day ride carried me to Yuma, Ariz., which was reached July 4. From
this point northward stops were made
at relatively short intervals, eiTort being made for as great a variety of physical
and climatic coiiditions as possible con- sistent with economy of time and money,
from one to three days being" spent in a place with side trips when it seemed
advisitb!e. Two months were spent in
California, the chief points touched
being Siin Bernardino, Los Angeles,
Sail Diego, Yosemite Valley, Sail
Francisco, and Mt. Slmsla. Oregon
was reached Sept. 6 and several stops
made along the line of the railroad and
side-trips to Mary's Peak and Hood
River. Washi~~gton was barely touched
a& tin-ec points, when, the weather be-
coming unfavorable, I left the coast
Sept, 30, returning via the Canadian
Pacific railroad.
Expense. A three months' trip of
this kind from Boston back to Boston
nay be made, with strict economy, for
$400 -from New York or Washington
proportionately less, - not including
transportation to and from the Yosemite
Valley, which would be $25 to $35
more. An additional $50 or $100 "will
add greatly to the traveler's comfort and the enjoyment of the trip. The expense
of a collecting tour of course depends
on the amount and character of the ter-
ritory examined, the time spent at each
stopping-place, and the style of living. The best ticket is the nine months'
'' Pacific Coast Excursion," allowing
sixty days to leach the coast, and nine
months for ~eturn to point of depar-
ture, with privilege of stop-over within these periods anywhere on the route
west of ceitain points. Tickets foi
side-trips should not be bough1 till
needed, as advantage may often be taken
of temporaly reductions. Local rail-
road fares vary from 3 to 6 cents a mile, stage fares from 10 to 4; cents.
In traveling across the continent a
berth in a " Tourist " sleeper (second-
class) may be had for about one-third
the cost of one in the regular first-class Pullman and is fairly con1fortable.
Meals en route at hotels and in dining-
cars average 75 cents each. Rates at
the railroad hotels range from $2 to $4
a day.
In most towns accommodations
may be secured for $1 to $1.25 a day.
In Los Angeles and San Francisco
excellent meals may be had for "two
bits" (25 c ). Sometimes high-priced
houses have a low rate that may be
secured on application. If a stop of
several days at a central point is con-
templated it is usually best to engage a room by the week and take meals where
most convenient. At railroad stations
where there are no hotels one may




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usually secure meals at least at the sec- tion-ho~ises, and if blankets are carried may sleep out with comfort almost any-
where. To reach points in unsettled
districts it is often necessary to go with an " outfit " consisting of pack and
saddle animals. These, with guides,
may generally be secured at hotels or
livery stables at prices proportionate to the labor involved and the service ren-
dered, ranging from $I to $5 a day for
animiils and $2 to $10 for guides.
Baggqe. This should consist of,
ist, a trunk to contain extra clothing,
blankets when not in use, reserve appa-
rains, supplies, etc., and at times more or less of the material collected (150
Ibs. weight free on railroads. -stages
and transfers extra) ; 2nd. 'A good-sized grips:ick or its equivalent to contain
clothing and supplies for immediate use, guide-books, maps, etc., -which is
usually carried free anywhere and is all that is necessary for short side-trips;
yd, a collecting-outfit and packing-
boxes ready for instant use, - often of
service ciuring stops of the train for
water, at siding's, and in breakdowns or delays of any description.
Weather. From May I to Oct. I
the weather is very rarely unsuitable for collecting, though near the extreme
dates it may be unsettled. On the
shore the early morning and late after-
noon are quite often foggy. In the
mountains showers may occur in any
month, but are rare. Rubber wraps
and blankets to protect from rain are
never carried in summer, but light ones
to protect from dust are very desirable, especially when traveling by team or
stage on much-used roads, e. fr., to the Yosemite Valley.
Temperature. To the northerner
the climate of southern California in
midsummer is liable to prove trying.
Personally I felt no inconvenience until the mercury reached rro0 to 115" in the
shade. In these circumstances every-
thing, even growing plants and
sub-
stances otherwise invariably cool, was
uncomfortably warm to the touch, and
the utmost lassitude and indisposition
to effort of any kind were felt. This
temperature, however, was experienced
for but a few days while in the Colo-
rado Desert, and the lassitude may have
been partly due to other causes. At
100' to ioj0 whole days were spent in
the field, tramping about and collecting, and though the sun was trying less
discomfort was felt than in the sultry
heat of the east at 90".
In the Yosemite Valley the nights,
and especially the early mornings, were
cold relatively to the rest of the day,
but over most of the district traversed
there was less diurnal range of tern-
peratnre than in the east and much less
change from day to day.
Clothing.
No change in the amount
or character of the clothing from that
customarily worn in New England was
found necessary. Immediately on the
shorelight-weight woolens were needed.
In the interior thinner clothing- was
more comfortable except at high alti-
tudes. At San Francisco during the
latter part of the day and on the ferries a light-weight overcoat was desirable,




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January 1898 1 PSYCHE. 163
owing to the boisterous, fog-laden sea-
winds.
'l'he hat to be worn depends largely
upon individual preference. The light-
est and coolest is the cloth heln~et.
which is provided with an air-space all
about the head, allowing free circula-
tion of air. This does not properly
protect the sides ol' the face and neck, and collapses when wet. A broad-
brimmed straw gives more shade and is
fairly light but allows less circulation of air about the head and is troubleson~e to can-y when traveling. Cork helmets
are durable but undesirably heavy.
After wearing a cloth helmet for a
week and having it spoiled in a thunder- shower I adopted for steady use the
ordinary street hat of the east (str~iw, - 26 inch brim) and this notwithskinding
the fierce rays of the sun in southern.
California. This was presentable when
traveling, gave sufficient protection from the sun and little resistance to the wind when collecting, was worn tin'oughout
the season mci is still in good condi-
tion. Sunburn was prevented by tying
one edge of a handkerchief to the hat-
band for a few days. In addition, a
soft felt that may be rolled up and put
in the pocket was found desirable in the north, in wet weather, sine1 at high
altitudes.
Two pairs of shoes are necessary, one
for town use and one for tramping.
Those for tramping should contain
plenty of room, for the toes and have
thick soles studded with hob-nails, the
latter securing greater durability and
sureness of footing.
Leggings of stout duck or canvas that
buckle closely about the ankle and instep are a valuable addition to the collector's outfit, eflectually excluding the dust,
pi otecting the tiousers from much wear
and the gummy tar-weed, and possibly
wavding oft' snake-bite.
Campiny. California is the ideal
land for camping-out owing to the long
rainless summer and dry soil. While
ordinarily it will be found economical
of time and labor to patronize hotels
and lodging-houses there are times when
camping can be done to advantage and
one who fails to seize the opportunity
will miss many enjoyable experiences.
A pair of heavy blankets is sufficient
for any elevation up to snow line; a
single one is often sufficient and some- times none is needed. While wraps of
some kind are usually desirable in the
early morning hours, I have slept with
comfort in the San Joaquin valley
under a tree, and at higher levels by
the side of a fire, without any.
Fires for cooking, light, and heat are
of course necessary, but the utmost care in their management is imperative
owing to the tinder-like dryness of all
combnstible matter. In every case dry
leaves and brush must be removed from
all about and in the forest one must dig down through the half-rotted humus lo
the soil itself in order to prevent the
fire from spreading out surreptitiously. Care must be used to put the fire
entirely out before moving on.
Canteen,
In the hotter districts it is
best to carry a canteen if one expects to be away from water for more than an




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161 PSYCHE. [January 1808
hour or two. The quart size army
canteen will answer for most occasions
hut for trips of considerable length a
more capacious one is necessary. In
all cases it should be covered with
thick, durable cloth 'kept wet in order
to cool its contents by evaporation.
Collecting- apparatus. The col-
lector should start with an abundance
of apparatus in the shape of net-frames, nets, cyanide-bottles, etc. At least two net-frames should be carried, and parts
especially liable to be broken should be taken in duplicate. Nets are extremely
subject to damage owing to the thorny
character of much of the vegetation.
Pasteboard boxes for packing can be
found in quantity in the largest cities
only, but used ones (thread, button,
knife, etc.) may often be obtained in dry goods and hardware stores. Cotton
batting may be found anywhere. Carry
cheap envelopes for specimens of plants
which it is desirable to determine, and
blotting-paper to keep cyanide-bottles
dry.
Preservation of material. This is
a simple matter owing to the dryness of
the atmosphere, the chief precaution
necessary being to guard en'ictually
against rough handling. The nicthod
followed was one I have med for several
years on collecting trips in New Eng-
land, slightly modified to meet the
greater risk of breakage during trans-
portation. The material was simply
packed between layers of cotton ill
pasteboard boxes perforated with nu-
merous holes and wit11 very few excep-
tions came out in excellent condition.
For several clays after packing- the boxes were exposed freely to the air by plac-
ing them in an extra net hung up in a
current or tied to the handle of my grip when traveling. Some large-bodied
insects, like Stenopelmattq were
opcncd and stuffed, but this is seldom
necessary.
Collecting season of O~thoftera.
While the Orthoptera, like other insects, may be obtained at all seasons of the
year, there is with them likewise a
period when the number of species and
individiuils in the adult state is greatest and which is consequeutly the most
advantageous season for collecting.
For several orders the early summer
months are undoubtedly the most favor-
able time but lothis rule the Ortlioptera form a notable exception. In the major-
ity or species the winter is passed in
the egg stage, the young appear in
spring, grow through thc summer, and
reach maturity in lute summer or early
fall. In Ncw England the most favor-
able time for collecting is from mid-
July to mid-Septemlier, wliile for most
orders it is in June and July. On the
Pacific Coast also this rule holds good : in Washington and Oregon the best
period will be found in August and
September, in California from July to
September according to latitude and
elevation. This fact of a later col-
lecting season for Orthoptera than for
other orders seems to have been over-
looked by several collectors rind entu-
mologists who were consulted before
setting out. As it proved, I was a
little early in the southern and late in



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January 18~8.1 F's2'-cffh'. 165
the northern parts of the district exam- ined. There arc, of course, species
that can be obtained only in the spring. Observations on other orders. To
other orders but little attention w;is
paid. The most noticeable in point of
numbers were Homoptera and minute
Diptera which swarmed at times ill
thick vegetation and about damp places.
Heteroptera and Hyrnenoptera were
occasionally numerous. Several kinds
of butterflies, mostly in poor condition, were common in So. Calif., and some-
times favorable localities were found
where a few species of Odonata were
plentiful. Coleoptera were rather
scarce, except occasionally, when cer-
tain species were met with in abun-
dance.
Character of collecting'. In Cali-
foruia, while the extreme conditions
accessible are greater, ranging from
sub-tropical deserts to glacier-crowned
peaks, and this sometimes within a
strikingly short distance, yet, as a rule. the collector finds it necessary to travel about more than in the east. This is
because the cciuntry is laid out on a
broader plan and there is less variety in each square mile than in Massachusetts,
for instance, where one may often visit
woods, fields, streams, peat-bogs, sand- hills, and rocky ledges in an hour's
ramble. In California a similar variety
in so small compass can rarely be found. At the time of my visit the conditions
over most of the regions examined were
those of great aridity, and the larger
proportion of the Oithoptera secured
belonged to a group partial to such
conditions,- the Oedipodinae. Except
whcrc rcccntly irrigated or within a few feet of running water, the soil, even in the forests, was absolutely dry.
When
of adobe it was sun-baked, extremely
hai-d, and rent with cracks penetrating
to a depth of several inches or a foot,
affording complete safety to insects tak- ing refuge in them unless the collector
were armed with pick and shovel.
The grass was parched and brown
and the soil exposed everywhere except
along streams and irrigation-ditches and in wet grounds, where a tall, dense
growth of grasses and allied plants was
found. In consequence grass-loving in-
sects were less numerous and much re-
stricted in area. Alfalfa-fields, irrigated, and looking most attractively green,
were not as remunerative collecting
grounds for Orthoptera as would be
expected. In desert regions many spe-
cies were found on bushes and weeds.