TONG Ch il Siang SOOT bole tii lS a ak 
¥. REPORT OF THE ENTOMOLOGIST. _ 167 
In conclusion, I would state that the only remedy that I know of is in clean farm- 
— ing—burning all rubbish in early spring that has not disappeared during fall and 
_ winter; also the protection of our winter birds. ; 
In regions that depend entirely upon irrigation for moisture, or such that are . 
easily flooded, there never need be any loss of crops from the depredations of this 
insect. ; 
As to future possibilities of injury we can say nothing definite, as weather alone 
will decide the matter, a wet year preventing and a dry one favoring their increase 
in damaging numbers. 
LOCUSTS (grasshoppers). 
During the month of June reports of the ravages of our old enemy, the Rocky 
Mountain Locust (Melanoplus spretus, Thos.), in one or two localities in the Northwest 
| were going the rounds of the press, especially Eastern papers. Just what these rav- 
ages amounted to I am unable to state, not having been upon the ground. Neither 
am I prepared to predict anything in reference to their numbers and probable where- 
abouts for the future. That this insect was on the increase two years ago, when I 
last visited the region in question, I am positive. From the occasional references 
to their appearance at widely-separated localities since, and the frequent scattering 
flights observed to pass over this locality, both during the summer and early fall of 
1886 and the present season, I am pretty certain their-numbers have not decreased. 
The Ottertail County, Minn., visitation is evidently more familiar to you than to 
myself; therefore I merely add the newspaper clippings referring to it that have 
come to my notice. 
A few spretus alighted here about the middle of June, which arrived from the 
south. Others appeared July 10 to 12 from the north, and still others were seen in: 
the air during the latter part of July and up to the 20th of August, the latter also 
moving southward, either from north-northeast or northwest. At no time were 
these flights what would be called large; still, when taken together, the numbers 
that passed would have comprised quite an extensive swarm. The only ones that 
were observed to deposit eggs were those which came in July, just before the harvest 
had fairly begun. From these there will be no danger next year, as their numbers 
were too few. 
On account of the severe drought during the last and the present year, the various 
species of native locusts have become exceedingly numerous in some localities,where 
they congregated from the surrounding prairies in such great numbers as to materi- 
ally injure the outer edges of grain-fields, as well as toclean out many gardens. On 
the 12th of July, while out on the uplands, 3 to 4 miles east of town, I found these 
“natives” in large numbers in the ravines or low places where the grasses were 
still green, as well as along the edges of grain-fields. They had congregated from 
the adjoining higher grounds, upon which the grasses had dried up and withered. 
Melanoplus angustipennis, Dodge, which only a few years ago was quite rare and 
confined to the lowlands along the Elkhorn, is now becoming quite numerous. If the 
species continues to increase as rapidly during the succeeding four or five years as it 
has during the past few, it will be equally as destructiveas femur-rubrum, devastator, 
atlanis, and differentialis. When first described it seemed to be confined almost exclu- 
sively to Artemesia ludoviciana as a food-plant. Now it seems to take to almost any 
food-plant that presents itself. This Narrow-winged Locust is more nearly related to 
WM. devastator than to any of our other especially injurious species. Should itreally 
become a pest, as present indications would suggest, its ‘‘ arboreal” habit of living 
' toa very great extent above the surface of the ground upon the stems and leaves 
of plants renders it rather a difficult enemy with which to deal. 
Stenobothrus cequalis,Scudd.—At about 4 o’clock p.m. July 18, while walking 
through an orchard, I noticed several small grasshoppers spring into the air and 
start off ona flight, seemingly unmolested or unconcerned as to time of re-alighting. 
These locusts were so much smaller than any of the species heretofore observed by 
me to act in this manner that I decided upon an investigation. I accordingly 
watched for others as they arose and sailed joyously aloft, when one chanced to 
drift within reach of my net and thus suddenty ended his anticipated spree. m- 
agine my astonishment when the capture was ascertained to be a specimen of our 
common. Stenobothrus wqualis, of the form approaching St. maculipennis. Further 
inquiry confirmed the fact that the recent capture was really one of many of these 
locusts that had actually decided upon a journey, and were on a move southwest- 
‘@ ward. By the aid of a field-glass it was estimated that some of these small locusts 
actually attained an altitude of upwards of 400 feet above the surface, while still 
higher were to be seen the larger specimens of MW. spreius, of which a few were pass- 
ing in the same direction. 
b 
