﻿324 EIGHTH ANNUAL REPORT 



THE LOCUSTS DID XOT RETURN IN THE FAIX. 



la the scourged district the people were very anxious lest another 

 invasion like that of the previous year should occur. I did not hesi- 

 tate to insist through several journals that there was no danger of a 

 general invasion. None of the insects were noticed to return in au- 

 tumn in Iowa and Nebraska, and though there are authenticated 

 instances of a few scattering individuals, or of small swarms flying 

 over parts of Kansas and Missouri, and settling without doing dam- 

 ■age, yet in the majority of instances thistle down and the downy por- 

 tion of Cottonwood seed, were proved to be the occasion of the re- 

 ports that were made of flying locusts. 



The specimens I have obtained of these returning individuals are 

 like those which developed in the same territory during the Spring, i. e. 

 somewhat darker and below the average size of the typical species; 

 which indicates that they did not come from the extreme northwest, 

 but more probably from nearer home, and perhaps from Colorado. 

 In September a few flights also came into Texas from the north. 



As a rule the ravaged districts were remarkably free in the Fall 

 of most Insects and especially of locusts. Those individuals that did 

 not get away in June were, as one of my correspondents, Mr. J. Goen, 

 of Jackson Station, remarks " loaded with parasites and soon died;" 

 while the native species were scarce. 



NATURAL ENEMIES. 



I have no important additions to make to the list of these instanced 

 last year. The good offices of birds were everywhere noticed, and 

 Mr. Wise, of the Minnesota Commission, is of opinion that the black- 

 birds and prairie chickens destroyed a large portion of the eggs laid 

 in that State in 1875, scratching for them after the fashion of hens. 

 Frof. F. H, Snow, of Lawrence, Kansas, found the young locusts in the 

 ..gizzards of the Red-eyed Woodpecker {Melanerpes erythrocepha- 

 lus,), Yellow-billed Cuckoo {Goccyzus Americayius)^ Oat-bird {Mimus 

 Carolinenfiis)^ Red- eyed Vireo ( Yireo olivaceus)^ Great-crested 

 Flycatcher {Myiarchiis crinitus) and Crow Blackbird {Quiscalus 

 versicolor)^ species that had not been noticed to feed on them before. 

 I found the young insects in our own counties pursued by many pre- 

 daceous beetles, especially those (p. 52) that attack the Army Worm. 

 I also found several species of predatory soldier-bugs attacking them; 

 and Mr. Dan, Carpenter, of Barry, refers, by letter, to the frequency 

 with which the locusts in his neighborhood were noticed to be infested 

 with " slender worms measuring often fourteen to eighteen inches 

 in length," which were without doubt hair-worms, ( Gordli) — well 



