THE PRACTICAL ENTOMOLOGIST. 



19 



We are indebted to Dr. Fitch for compiling, with much 

 labor and from the best accessible sources, a statement of 

 the different Locust districts in the United States. Errors, 

 no doubt, there are some in this statement; but such as 

 it is, it is a very valuable contribution to the Natural 

 History of this remarkable insect, and correspondents of 

 tlie PnicrrcAL Extomologist may add greatly to its accu- 

 racy by forwarding a notice of when it is "Locust-j-eax" 

 with each of them. Here follows an abstract of Dr. Fitch's 

 statement. (From N. T. Rep. I. p. 39.) 



LOCUST DISTRICTS OF THE UNITED STATES. 



District 1«^— Valley of the Hudson River, N.Y. North- 

 ern limit, Schuylerville and Fort Miller; eastern limit, 

 New Haven, Cl. ; western limit, N. E. corner of Pennsyl- 

 vania. Years 1S43, 1S60, 1S77. 



District 2nd. — Western New York, Western Pennsylva- 

 nia and E istern Ohio. Years 1849, 1866. 



District Srd. — Southeast Massachusetts, Long Island, N. 

 Y., Chesapeake Bay, Valley of Susquehanna to Carlisle, 

 Penna., Valley of Ohio from Kanawha Virg. to its mouth, 

 thence to mouth of Mississippi andupKed River, Arkan- 

 sas River, etc. Years 1855, 1872. 



District Ath. — South Pennsylvania and Maryland, Vir- 

 ginia, North and South Carolina, and Georgia, and an out- 

 lying sub-district in Southeast Massachusetts. Years 

 1851, 1868. 



District bth. — From West Pennsylvania through the 

 Valley of the Ohio River, and down that of the Missis- 

 sippi to Louisiana. Years 1846, 1803. ISSO. [This seems 

 geographically mixed up with part of the 3rd district.] 



District dth. — Round the head of Lake Michigan east- 

 ern boundary middleof the Stateof Michigan; northern 

 boundary Wisconsin; western boundary parts of Iowa; 

 southern boundary Peoria, 111., on Illinois River. Years 

 1854,1871. 



District 1th. — Western part of North Carolina. Years 

 1847, 1864, 1881. 



District Sth. — Martha's Vineyard, Mass. Years 1833, 

 1850, 1867. 



District 9th. — Connecticut River Valley, Mass. Years 

 1835, 1852, 1869. 



Hence we see that it will be " Locust-year" somewhere 

 or other within the limits of the United States in 1866, 

 '67. '68 and '69, in 1871, '72 and '77, and in 1880 and '81. 

 There may be, and probably are, other "Locust-years" 

 in other districts; and in that case, it is desirable that I 

 should be informed of the particular localities and the 

 particular years. 



It is important that we should not confound the Locusts 

 of Scripture and of the Old World with the so-called Lo- 

 custs of our Country. These last are more properly called 

 "Cicadas," and species of them are found in Europe, and 

 were well known to the ancient Greeks and Romans. 

 Virgil speaks of the Cicadas "bursting the groves with 

 their song," and a graceless Greek poet wrote as follows. 

 alluding to the fact that it is only the male Cicada that 

 sings : — 



Happy the Cicadas lives. 



Since they all have voiceless wives ! 



The Locusts that " devoured every green thing 

 throughout the land of Egypt," were species of what we 

 popularly call Grasshoppers — the same group of insects 

 that have repeatedly "devoured every green thing" in 

 California, Utah, Colorado, Nebraska and Minnesota. 

 Our so-called "locusts" could not possibly do this; for 

 they have no jaws at all to cat herbage with, and only a 

 beak to suck a little sap with now and then. The few 

 twigs that they do really destroy, are destroyed, not by 

 their jaws, for they have none, but by the female boring 

 into them with her ovij)osltor to find a suitable nest for 

 her eggs. The stories of their stinging people to death 

 with this ovipositor are probably all moonshine. I have 

 handled dozens of them, and never got stung yet; and 

 even if they did accidentally pierce the skin with it, it 

 would be no worse and no better than the prick of a pin, 

 for they have no poison-bag in their tails as the Bees and 

 Wasps have. 



It is, indeed, possible, that persons in a peculiarly irri- 

 table habit of body might die from such a wound; and 

 so have many died from bee-stings, and some even from 

 the prick of a pin. But that does not prove that pins arc 

 dangerous and deadly weapons, not to be lightly placed 

 in the hands of women and children. The only insects 

 that any one really need be afraid of are the various spe- 

 cies of Bees and Wasps; and even of these, it is only the 



females that have stings. Drones, which are the male 

 bees, are, as everybody knows, very peaceable, well-be- 

 haved citizens, and, unlike their formidable wives, may 

 be handled by any one with impunity. b. d. w. 



Mrs. E. Barney, N. Y. — We shall publish in our next 

 number an illustrated article on "Borers" of various 

 kinds, by Mr. Walsh of Illinois, in which you will find 

 your suggestions attended to. 



Peter Chance, Ohio.— The Philadelphia Raspberrv can 

 be had of H. A. Dreer, 714 Chestnut street, Philadelphia. 

 It is said to be the most profitable market berry that is ^ 

 cultivated ; fruit large and good ; plant very hardy and 

 incredibly productive. 



6. W. H., Ohio, wishes to know the best work on Fruit 

 Growing, for a new beginner. Will some of our corres- 

 pondents give the desired information? We do not pro- 

 fess to be posted up on that subject. 



OGREESPGNDENCE. 



Eds. Practical Entomologist: — The first two numbers 

 of your "Bulletin" have come to hand, and I find con- 

 siderable matter of interest in them. It is to be hoped 

 the enterprize may succeed, because through such an 

 agency much truth and many facts in regard to Entomo- 

 logy can be disseminated among those who will be most 

 benefitted by them. 



While reading your well printed columns, I feel the 

 symptoms of a slight attack of cacoeihesscrib., and yielding 

 to the power, I let my pen run on in a desultory style, 

 and have only to say if you find anything worth using in 

 these jottings, you are at liberty to "cut and come again.'* 



The article of my friend P. on the parasite of the tent^ 

 caterpillar reminds me of a little experience of my own 

 in that direction. Here let me remark that I make no 

 pretensions to being an Entomologist, as I have only 

 "just entered the gate," and have studied the subject in 

 but few of its points, and those in only a brief and prac- 

 tical manner. Hence, whatever mistakes in style or 

 '• Latinity" I may make, will be excused. But to the 

 point. In 1S62 I discovered a parasite of the tent-cater- 

 pillar which I had never seen noticed, and of which I 

 then deferred a description until I learned further in re- 

 gard to it. But the subject had passed from my mind 

 until I saw the above-noticed article, which recalls it. 

 In the box of specimens (in vials) which I send you, No. 

 1 contains the Ichneumon which I took from the pupa 

 case of the Clisiocampa Americana. I found but one other 

 specimen, and that was nut fully matured. What is your 

 opinion? Is it figured and described, and what is its 

 name?'^' The egg must be laid in or on the larva, and 

 hatching and growing with it does not prevent the cater- 

 pillar from entering the chrj'salis state, but then grows 

 and appropriates the whole shell in which it passes 

 through its own changes until it is a perfect insect, as I 

 found it. No. 2 contains another Ichneumon, which acts 

 upon the same principle. It is the geometer which preys 

 on the common woodbine. The vial contains the larva 

 and the pupa of the moth, and also the imago of the pa- 

 rasite. I found, on examination, that about one-third of 

 these pupa cases were filled and appropriated by the Ich- 

 neumon. Please break two or three of these pupa cases, 

 and perhaps you will find a specimen of both. Can you 

 give me their names ?t 



These Ichneumons are the farmers' friends, as they 

 prey upon and destroy those of their own kind which are 

 destructive. If we can find an ally in the parasite re- 

 ferred to above as living on the tent-caterpillar, it de- 

 serves to be known and doubly welcomed, for at the rat© 

 they destroyed our fruit and ravaged our orchards thi» 

 year, we shall soon require assistance of some kind, else 

 raising apple trees must l)e given up. 



No. 3 contains a kind of beetle which lives on the apple 

 tree here, and which I discovered in 1862. I have never 

 seen it referred to or named. I published a description cf 

 it at the time. Can you name it? | geo. e. drackett. 



Belfast, Me., Nov. 29, 1865. 



* Pimpla conquisitor, Say. Described, but not figured, 

 f Ichneumon Icctus, BruUe. Don't know the name of 

 the " Geometer." Send us specimens of the moth. 

 2 Leptosiylus macula, Say. [Eds 



