﻿100 EIGHTH ANNUAL REPORT 



stage — that following the egg — the wing pads are not visible; in the 

 second (after the first molt) they project but little beyond the meso 

 and metathorax, differ but little in size, and are directed downwards, 

 lying separately close to the body: in the third stage (after second 

 molt) they are directed upward, the hind covering and hiding more or 

 less the front pair, and the joints bearing them retreating more beneath 

 the prothorax : in the fourth stage (after third molt) they are enlarged 

 as seen in the pupa, and with the fourth molt the fifth or perfect stage 

 is attained. European authors differ as to whether there are three,, 

 four or five molts in the European migratory species ;* but I have 

 watched spretus from the egg to the imago, and thousands of mounted 

 and alcoholic specimens of all ages, show distinctly the five stages 

 enumerated, and these only. 



HABITS OF THE UNFLEDGED LOCUSTS. 



Never having had before the opportunity of observing the habits 

 of the young insects as they hatch out in the Mississippi Valley, the 

 experience of last Spring was very interesting to me, as well as valu- 

 able. As I had stated they would, the great bulk of these young 

 hatched out about the middle of April, but others kept on hatching 

 even up to the time when the first hatched got wings, so that up tO' 

 the 1st of June they were met with of all sizes from the newly hatched 

 to the winged. So long as provision sufficed for them on their hatch- 

 ing grounds they remained almost stationary, and created but little 

 general apprehension, although many farms on bottom lands and 

 fields adjacent to timber were overrun with them. As soon, however^ 

 as the supply of food in these situations was exhausted, they com- 

 menced to migrate, frequently in bodies a mile wide, devouring as 

 they advanced all the grass, grain and garden truck in their path. 

 The migrating propensity was in no instance, that came to my knowl- 

 edge, developed till after the first molt. Up to that time they were 

 content to huddle in warm places, and lived for the most part 

 on weeds, and especially on the common dog fennel or mayweed 

 {Maruta.) 



The young locusts display gregarious instincts from the start, and 

 congregate in immense numbers in warm and sunny places. They 

 thus often blacken the sides of houses or the sides of hills — the 

 prevailing tint of the mass during the first and second larval stages 

 being a dull, deep gray. They remain thus huddled together during 

 cold, damp weather. When not traveling, and when food is abundant, 

 or during bad, rainy weather, they are fond of congregating on fences^ 

 buildings, trees, or anything removed from the moist ground. Tliey 



•SeeKoppen, "Ueber die Heuschreckea ia Suedrussland, " 1860, pp. 22-3. 



