78 Journal New York Entomological Society, ivui. xiii. 



northeast direction across the Badger Mountains to within six or seven 

 miles of Waterville by the 9th of June, 1903. A force of men was 

 at work in front of them constructing a low fence to prevent their 

 farther advance toward the wheat fields a mile or so beyond at the 

 base of the mountains. These crickets were said to have travelled 

 fifteen miles during the three weeks previous. Two years ago they 

 came up out of the southern part of Moses Coulee and caused the 

 farmers a great deal of trouble about Southside. Their migration this 

 year toward Waterville from Southside over the Badger Mountains is 

 their first visit to this region. 



Where the crickets were checked by the fence they became densely 

 massed and the vegetation was here utterly ravished by them. One 

 could discern from a distance a striking contrast on the opposite sides 

 of the fence. Evidently the insects here travelled for food. 



During the morning and the early part of the afternoon the mem- 

 bers of this travelling community behaved the same as those of the 

 stationary Coulee City band. But the men at work along the fence 

 confidently stated that between three and four o'clock in the afternoon 

 the crickets would begin to travel, and that soon the ground would be 

 covered by a dense crawling mass of the insects all moving steadily 

 along in one direction. This prediction the writer saw verified the 

 same day. 



In any band the members are most of the time moving about but 

 they simply go back and forth in any direction. Here, however, a 

 little after three o'clock in the afternoon, many of the crickets were 

 to be seen walking continuously along in a northeast direction. To- 

 ward four o'clock the number moving thus had greatly increased, 

 while shortly after four not an individual was stationary — all were 

 moving silently and steadily along in an unswerving course to the 

 northeast. An average rate of progress was ten or twelve feet a 

 minute. Feeding had entirely ceased and all individuals that were in 

 the bushes came down to the ground which now became crowded. 

 If any one lagged he was simply hustled along by those coming 

 behind. Soon they became so massed that it was impossible for any 

 one of them to go in any other direction than that of the crowd 

 or even to stand still. Near the fence, which was placed across 

 the predicted line of march the scene was something marvellous. 

 Over thousands of square feet the crickets were simply massed together, 

 there being on much of this crowded area actually a cricket to every 



