Report of the State Entomologist. 128 



at eighty. But a moment, however, sufficed to dispel the illusion. 

 These were not snow flakes which whitened and covered roof and 

 pavement, and suffocated powerful Brush lights, but sand-flies — 

 countless myriads of insects, appearing somewhat like young dragon- 

 flies, coming up like the locusts of Egypt, from the sands of the lake- 

 shore, to harmlessly fly and flutter for a day and die. The next 

 morning, bushels of them (so the head porter informed us) had been 

 swept up during the night and carried away. They lay dead about 

 the rotunda, through the hallways, in the dining-hall and in guests' 

 chambers whose windows had remained open. 



The following, recounts a similar phenomenon, at St. Paul, Minn., 

 on July of 1885 : 



Chicago, July 15. — A special from St. Paul, Minn., says St. Paul 

 was treated to a phenomenon in the form of clouds of bugs 

 on Wednesday night. Abovit ten o'clock a breeze sprang up 

 from the south, and with it came countless millions of bugs which 

 swarmed around every light, often becoming so thick around the 

 street lamps as to almost obscure the light. Around the electric-light 

 masts they seemed to congregate in greater numbers than elsewhere, 

 and in the vicinity of Bridge square, Seven corners, and at the park at 

 the head of Third street, the streets were literally covered with the 

 pests. Along the Wabash street side of the Second National bank the 

 sidewalk was covered to a depth of over a foot. Around the market 

 house at whatever point an electric light was located, the sidewalk 

 was covered with them. The Merchants' hotel received a liberal share 

 of the bugs, the steps leading to the veranda being completely hidden 

 from sight, and it is estimated that more than a wagon-load of bugs 

 could have been taken from in front of the building. In Rice park 

 was witnessed a curious sight: the trees near electric-lights were 

 covered with bugs, giving the trees the appearance of being moving 

 masses of life, while the electric-light wires were strung with the 

 insects. It is probable that after striking the wire they were unable 

 to get away on account of the current. At two o'clock yesterday 

 morning the streets m the vicinity of Bridge square, which had been 

 cleaned, were again covered with them, and they still continued to 

 come. The bugs are variously called " the green bay bug," " Sunday 

 bug," and " day bug." 



A remarkable flight of a minute species of ej)hemera, has been 

 related to me by Mr. Erastus Corning, Jr., of Albany, as having been 

 witnessed by him at Mu.rray Bay, Province of Quebec, on the St. Law- 

 rence river, N. Lat., 47° 40', in August of 1888. They came in such 

 numbers that they literally covered every exposed person and object. 

 This was the more extraordinary in consideration of their minute size, 

 which is less than that of some of the Aphides, being only 0.33 inch 

 in expanse of wings. The smallest known ephemerid, Ghloe pygmcea 

 Hagen, also from the St. Lawrence river in Canada, has 0.24 inch 

 spread of wings. 



From examples brought to me, the species has been identified by 

 Dr. Hagen, as Gcenis nigra, named by him in the Proceedings of the 



