THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 189 



ON SOME DESTRUCTIVE LOCUSTS OF NORTH AMERICA, 

 TOGETHER WTTH NOTES ON THE OCCURRENCES 



IN 1891. 



BY LAWRENCE BRUNER, LINCOLN, NEBRASKA. 



(Delivered before the Association of Economic Entomologists, at the Third Annual 



Meeting, August 17th, 1891.) 



In introducing this subject it is my intention to speak shortly upon 

 the various species of Locusts which have appeared in injurious numbers 

 within the territorial limits to be designated with each species. Some of 

 these species have covered a vast area of territory, and have caused 

 extensive injury from time to time, while others have appeared over 

 limited areas only, and have caused but slight injuries ; but yet these have 

 been sufficient to necessitate their mention amongst the destructive 

 species of the country. Taking them altogether, we have exactly twelve 

 destructive locusts within the territory designated. 



Dissosteira longipeiinis. — Selecting the species as they occur to me, I 

 will mention first the Long-winged Locust. During the early part of July 

 reports came from the eastern and south-eastern portions of Colorado of 

 locust depredations. The first of these was that trains had been stopped 

 by grasshoppers getting on the rails of the Santa Fe Railroad, 100 miles 

 or thereabouts east of Denver. Shortly after this, reports appeared in the 

 newspapers of serious damage being done around the point where they 

 were first mentioned as stopping trains. About this time other reports 

 of depredations came in from North Dakota and Minnesota and other 

 portions of the west and north-west. On the strength of these reports 

 Prof Riley instructed me to visit the localities, for the purpose of ascer- 

 taining the extent of country overrun, the actual and possible future injury 

 which might result, and the exact identity of the species concerned. Being 

 a Nebraska man, and looking out for first interests, I naturally went to 

 Colorado, the nearest locality to my. home from which reports had been 

 received. I first visited Akron, Colorado, the nearest point on the Bur- 

 lington and Missouri line to the region infested. There securing a team 

 and driving to the south only about six miles, the advance guard of the 

 enemy was encountered. Imagine my surprise at finding here an entirely 

 new insect, as far as destructive locusts are concerned. There in Colorado, 

 and in irnmense numbers, was the Dissosteira longipennis^ an insect usually 

 considered rare in collections, and one heretofore only known to occur 



