﻿OF THE STATE ENTOMOLOGIST. 77 



is the general opinion of my correspondents that all such early col- 

 onies perished from subsequent cold and freshets. 



Prof. Snow, of the State University at Lawrence, records the fact 

 of seeing the first young locusts upon the southern slopes of Mt. Oread 

 on April 6th, and soon learned that a simultaneous hatching had 

 taken place in many spots of bottom land, along roadsides and in 

 fields of grass and grain. From this date until about the 10th of May 

 they were reported from various localities as " still hatching." 



Many citizens of the infested district labored with heroic deter- 

 mination to save their crops from the pests, and such efforts measura- 

 bly succeeded in keeping them in check. 



Continued wet weather and hail storms in some localities greatly 

 reduced the numbers of the insects, and a large proportion also per- 

 ished before acquiring their wings, from the attacks of various para- 

 sites. 



From all the data accessible it would appear that the locusts first 

 took flight in Kansas from the extreme southeast of the infested re- 

 gion, on May 28th and 29th, and that these swarms passed over the 

 State in a northerly and northwesterly direction. At Ft. Scott they 

 began flying on June 1st. At Lawrence the first winged locusts were 

 observed May 30th and the first flight from that locality occurred on 

 June 3d. At Chetopa they commenced flying June 5th; at Topeka, 

 June 6th; in Worth and Jackson counties June 8th and 9oh. By the 

 13th of the same month they had nearly all taken their departure from 

 Lawrence and the region southward, and by the 15th were gone from 

 as far north as Leavenworth. 



The testimony of a vast majority of observers is conclusive as to 

 the general northwesterly direction of their flight. The few cases on 

 record of their moving in other directions are attributable to strong 

 adverse winds or to the fact that they were merely making short aerial 

 excursions preparatory to the grand flight. It was noticed that when 

 they flew to the south or east it was at a much lower elevation than 

 when apparently returning to their native habitat. 



The following interesting observations on their flight in Kansas 

 are from an article by Prof. Snow, in Kansas City Times: 



The direction of their flight I have carefully noted. When the wind is strong 

 they fly with the wind. If the wind is light they fly toward the northwest, by what 

 seems to be a natural instinct. Thus on June 7th, with a southwest wind moving, ac- 

 cording to the University anemometer, at the rate of three miles an hour the locusts 

 were flying in vast numbers in a direction a little to the north of west nearly in the face 

 of the wind.. On June 12th also, with a northeast wind blowing at the rate ot four 

 miles an hour they were flying in greater numbers than ever before in a northwest 

 oourse at right angles to the direction of the wind. 



Having once taken wing, there are on record but two or three in- 



