21 



ern bouiuliiry. During; the pre.-^ciit year reports of its injury were 

 received from Minnesota, North Dakota, and Manitoba by the Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture, and upon investigation I found tliese reports to be 

 oulj' too true. In Minnesota and Dakota the authorities, ably assisted 

 by the efforts of settlers, have been carrying on a vigorous warfare with 

 marked results, which will doubtless save their crops from devastation 

 next season. 



Metanoplus atlanis, Riley, the Lesser Migratory Locust. — This locust, 

 which very frequently becomes very injurious on account of its excess- 

 ive increase, is somewhat smaller than the Rocky Mountain species. It 

 is also migratory in its habits, but to a much less degree than is spretus. 

 In its distribution this insect is much more widely spread than the pre- 

 ceding, being common in almost all parts of our country from the Mex- 

 ican boundary to the fifty-third degree of north latitude, and even be- 

 yond in some parts of the country. It is the species which most fre- 

 quently does the locust injury in the New England States, much of that 

 in our Northern States, and some in the extreme Northwest. It has 

 also been known to become injurious even in the Middle and Southern 

 States. In its distribution atlams appears to be more partial to hilly 

 or mountainous country, and especially is this noticeable in reference 

 to its appearance in destructive numbers. It also seems to prefer 

 wooded or mixed country to the open jirairie or plains. 



As would naturally be expected from its wide distribution, this par- 

 ticular locust presents some variation in its size, color, and, to some ex- 

 tent also, its structure. At any rate there appear to be three well- 

 marked forms of the species to be met with within the confines of North 

 America. 



Melanoplus devastator, Scudd. — A third species of the genus Melano- 

 plus is the one that occasionally appears in destructive numbers in 

 portions of California and the adjoining States. It is about the same 

 size as the atlanis just mentioned, and often does considerable injury 

 to the crops of the regions where it occurs. Although this locust is 

 known to inhabit almost the entire region lying to the west of the main 

 divide of the Rocky Mountains and to reach even beyond in Montana 

 and Colorado, it has never, to my knowledge, been injurious except in 

 Nevada, California, Arizona, and Oregon. This species also occurs in 

 two forms, viz, small and large, being the spring and fall broods as 

 nearly as I have been able to decide from specimens in collections. 



Melanoplus hivittatuH, Say, the Two-striped Locust. — This is our com- 

 mon species of native grasshopper all over the country, and the one 

 that so frequently becomes injurious in our gardens and about the 

 edges of fields. It occurs from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and from the 

 Gulf of Mexico to the Saskatchewan. Its increase in destructive num- 

 bers appears, however, to be confined chiefiy to the regions lying be- 

 tween the Rocky Mountains and the Atlantic. This locust also appears 

 to vary considerably in its size and color. There are, however, two 



