290 
THE GRASSHOPPERS. 
A correspondent at Pleasant Ridge, Kansas, sends the following sketch of the 
western grasshopper or locust: 
“These grasshoppers, or mountain locusts, as many call them, made their ap- 
pearance in the western part of Kansas late in August, or about the beginning 
of September, 1866. The first intimation had here of their approach was the 
delay of the eastward-bound train from Fort Riley and Manhattan on account 
of the immense numbers of insects crushed on the track, thereby destroying the 
friction of the driving wheels. About the 27th of the same month they made 
their appearance in eastern Kansas, progressing at the rate of from five to ten 
miles a day, or according to the velocity of the wind in the direction they travel. 
Their general course seemed to be from the northwest to the southeast. A con- 
trary wind greatly impeded their progress, and when a strong breeze had to be 
overcome, they could not make any progress at all in their favorite direction, 
but generally remained on the ground rather than attempt to proceed, and spent 
their time in consuming everything accessible in the vegetable line. 
« They travel in the air like bees, some flying at an immense height, as can be 
seen on a clear day by looking toward the sun. When first appearing in any 
certain locality it is in the manner of a cloud, the insects descending to the 
earth like dropping rain. They commence at once devouring all vegetable sub- 
stances in their way, showing, of course, a preference at first. Vegetables pos- 
‘sessing the property of sweetness in any great degree, as green corn, sorghum, 
ete., escape till all others in the vicinity are consumed. But everything of an 
-acid or sour taste, as cabbage, or rhubarb, (pie-plant,) as well as bitter and even 
hot substances, as tobacco, and red or cayenne pepper, are especial favorites. 
The tenderest vegetation is always destroyed first. Our fine crops of fall wheat 
were completely eaten up in the space of two or three hours. 
«This insect is one of the varieties of the locustide and is doubtless the most 
destructive one known in this country—not only on account of its habit of 
appearing in such immense numbers, but because of its exceeding voracjousness. 
It is known to eat nearly everything of the vegetable kind, even to the dry 
bark on trees, and dry lint of seasoned fencing plank, as well as dry leaves and 
paper, all kinds of cotton goods and woollen clothing, and I have even seen a 
flock of sheep literally covered with them, devouring the wool. 
“Soon after these insects came upon the ground they concentrated along the 
roads and upon any bare earth they could find, preferring the short vegetation 
common to such places to the hard prairie grass. In such situations and in 
cultivated fields the most of their myriads of eggs were deposited. They con- 
tinued laying till the severe winter weather killed them. The eggs were de- 
posited to the depth, generally, of one inch; although in loose earth where 
vegetable roots were found some were placed as far down as ten to twelve inches, 
according to the length of the root, which was followed down and devoured, the 
grasshopper emerging after having laid its eggs. 
“On north hill-slopes the process of hatching was much retarded. It was 
supposed by the people generally that the severe winter would utterly destroy 
the posterity of these creatures in this vicinity ; but it did not, as the develop- 
ments of spring fully testified, though perhaps not more than one-fourth of the 
‘eggs withstood the weather and produced grasshoppers. Some of them com- 
‘menced hatching as early as the last of February, when there were afew warm 
days which brought forth those lying on the top of the ground. In March the 
weather was so severe that a large proportion of the remaining eggs perished, 
the thermometer frequently indicating 18° below zero. Judging from the 
voraciousness of those that did appear, I doubt not Kansas would have been 
‘made a perfect desert if all had lived. 
