155 



BVFFALU 6XATS (sIMULID.k) IN INDIANA AND ILLINOIS. By F. M. WkHSTKR. 



In his "Guide to the Study of Insects," p. 1)91, and again in his " Our 

 Common Insects," p. 73, Dr. A. S. Packard acknowledges the receipt of ex- 

 amples of a buffalo gnat from Prof. J. T. Cox, State Geologist of Indiana. 



In this notice it is not stated whether the examples were taken in Indi- 

 ana, or in Illinois, where the author accuses the insect of causing the death 

 of horses on the prairies. 



The late Dr. E. K. Boardman, of Stark County, Illinois, wrote me some 

 years ago of the former occurrence of these gnats in his State, as follows : 

 " I spent the summer of 1843 here on Spoon River. The settlers used to 

 watch for the appearance of the buffalo gnats every year, and they usually 

 came from the 10th to the 20th of May, from the Winnebago Swamp. That 

 year it was about the 12th or 15th of May, when we were planting corn, 

 that a neighbor rode up and told us to look to our stock, as the gnats were 

 coming. In less than an hour the cattle and horses came tearing in off the 

 prairie, the former bellowing with pain, the latter kicking and throwing 

 themselves on the ground, and rolling to rid themselves of their tormentors. 

 The gnats did not usually remain more than four or five days at the longest, 

 and often not over twenty-four hours, when a wind w^ould carry them oft. 



" When they used to come in such numbers, I have known them to run 

 stock from here, thirty or forty miles down the Henderson River, and when 

 the stock were recovered they would be so used up by running as to be al- 

 most useless. The deer used to leave the swamps about the time the gnats 

 appeared, and take shelter along Spoon River, often coming in droves, and 

 when hard pushed would take to the water. 



"The gnats came more like a swarm of bees than anything else I can 

 compare them to. I never saw them at Pawpaw, DeKalb county, nor do I 

 recollect of seeing or hearing of their occurrence here, for the last thirty 

 years — since the swamp has been drained and pastured." 



The following, from a letter received several years ago from Mr. John 

 Marten, at that time residing in Decatur, Illinois, will give additional in- 

 formation as to the distribution of Simulium in Illinois, and also add a 

 valuable hint as to remedial measures for the relief of stricken animals. 



" I have found the buffalo gnat in Edwards county, llUinois. In the spring 

 of 1883 or 1884, I do not now remember which, two, and possibly more, 

 horses were killed in that county. During both seasons the gnat was found 

 there. Farmers from Richland and Lawrence counties, north of P^dwards, 



