﻿BEVISIOX 
  OF 
  THE 
  MELAXOPLI—SCUDDER. 
  187 
  

  

  a 
  fourth 
  as 
  long 
  as 
  the 
  supraaual 
  plate; 
  cerci 
  formiug 
  nearly 
  fiat 
  plates, 
  

   about 
  lialf 
  as 
  long- 
  again 
  as 
  broad, 
  lying 
  In 
  a 
  nearly 
  uniform 
  subver- 
  

   tical 
  plane, 
  generally 
  slightly 
  curved 
  or 
  bent 
  upward, 
  tlie 
  apical 
  half 
  

   slightly 
  more 
  compressed 
  than 
  the 
  basal 
  and 
  narrowed 
  by 
  a 
  consider- 
  

   able 
  obli([ue 
  excision 
  of 
  the 
  inferior 
  margin, 
  the 
  tip 
  broadly 
  rounded 
  

   or 
  snbtruncate; 
  subgenital 
  plate 
  roundly 
  subpyramidal, 
  the 
  apical 
  mar- 
  

   gin 
  with 
  moderate 
  abruptness, 
  somewhat 
  elevated, 
  thickened, 
  and 
  

   mesially 
  notched 
  distinctly. 
  

  

  Length 
  of 
  body, 
  male, 
  25 
  mm., 
  female, 
  28 
  mm.; 
  antennae, 
  male, 
  9 
  mm., 
  

   female, 
  S.75 
  mm.; 
  tegmina, 
  male, 
  26.5 
  mm., 
  female, 
  27.5 
  mm.; 
  bind 
  

   femora, 
  male 
  and 
  female, 
  14 
  mm. 
  

  

  Twohundredand 
  seventy-six 
  males, 
  439females. 
  I 
  refrainfrom 
  giving- 
  

   in 
  detail 
  the 
  localities 
  from 
  which 
  I 
  have 
  seen 
  specimens, 
  both 
  on 
  account 
  

   of 
  their 
  number 
  and 
  because, 
  from 
  the 
  irregular 
  distribution 
  of 
  the 
  

   insect 
  in 
  different 
  years, 
  such 
  details 
  would 
  have 
  little 
  value 
  without 
  

   dates, 
  which 
  are 
  not 
  always 
  accessible: 
  farther 
  on, 
  however, 
  I 
  give 
  all 
  

   that 
  are 
  of 
  special 
  interest. 
  

  

  The 
  name 
  of 
  this 
  species 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  credited 
  to 
  ]Mr. 
  P. 
  E. 
  Uhler, 
  who 
  

   ])laced 
  it 
  in 
  his 
  collection 
  thirtj' 
  or 
  more 
  years 
  ago 
  and 
  communicated 
  

   it 
  to 
  various 
  persons, 
  who 
  used 
  it, 
  Sometimes 
  in 
  an 
  incorrect 
  form. 
  The 
  

   original 
  specimens 
  were 
  received 
  from 
  Mr. 
  Eobert 
  Kennicott, 
  and 
  were 
  

   obtained 
  by 
  him 
  from 
  a 
  migratory 
  horde 
  which 
  settled 
  in 
  the 
  then 
  lied 
  

   E^ver 
  settlements, 
  now 
  Winnipeg 
  and 
  vicinity, 
  Manitoba. 
  On 
  Mr. 
  

   Uhler's 
  generous 
  transfer 
  of 
  his 
  collection 
  to 
  me, 
  these 
  specimens, 
  with 
  

   their 
  history, 
  came 
  into 
  my 
  possession, 
  and 
  1 
  now 
  have 
  them 
  with 
  his 
  

   original 
  labels. 
  One 
  has 
  been 
  placed 
  in 
  the 
  National 
  Museum. 
  

  

  It 
  was 
  thus 
  known 
  from 
  the 
  start 
  as 
  a 
  migratory 
  insect, 
  and 
  com- 
  

   paring 
  it 
  with 
  any 
  species 
  of 
  the 
  genus 
  one 
  would 
  at 
  once 
  be 
  struck 
  

   with 
  the 
  greater 
  length 
  of 
  the 
  tegmina 
  and 
  wings. 
  These 
  were 
  meas- 
  

   ured 
  by 
  Eiiey; 
  in 
  forty-eight 
  males 
  the 
  tegmina 
  extended 
  beyond 
  the 
  

   abdomen 
  5 
  to 
  10 
  mm., 
  with 
  an 
  average 
  of 
  7.6 
  mm. 
  ; 
  in 
  ninety-nine 
  females 
  

   they 
  ranged 
  from 
  3 
  to 
  10 
  mm. 
  beyond 
  the 
  abdomen, 
  the 
  average 
  6.7 
  mm. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  now 
  well 
  known 
  as 
  the 
  "Eocky 
  Mountain 
  Locust'' 
  or 
  destructive 
  

   locust 
  of 
  the 
  States 
  in 
  the 
  western 
  half 
  of 
  the 
  Mississippi 
  Valley. 
  It 
  

   has 
  been 
  more 
  written 
  about 
  than 
  any 
  other 
  American 
  Orthopteron, 
  and 
  

   was 
  specially 
  discussed 
  bj'the 
  United 
  States 
  Entomological 
  Commission, 
  

   organized 
  to 
  devise 
  methods 
  of 
  checking 
  its 
  ravages 
  after 
  a 
  study 
  of 
  its 
  

   natural 
  history. 
  It 
  forms 
  the 
  almost 
  exclusive 
  subject 
  of 
  their 
  first 
  

   rej 
  ort. 
  and 
  occupies 
  a 
  considerable 
  space 
  m 
  their 
  second. 
  Although 
  a 
  

   considerable 
  body 
  ot 
  the 
  evidence 
  adduced 
  by 
  them 
  is 
  contradictory 
  

   and 
  in 
  part 
  of 
  doubtful 
  application 
  to 
  this 
  ])articular 
  species, 
  their 
  con- 
  

   clusions 
  are 
  in 
  very 
  large 
  measure 
  well 
  founded. 
  As 
  appears 
  from 
  a 
  

   study 
  of 
  their 
  work 
  and 
  other 
  available 
  material, 
  the 
  following 
  conclu- 
  

   sions 
  may 
  be 
  fairly 
  drawn: 
  

  

  (1) 
  The, 
  home 
  of 
  the 
  species 
  is 
  in 
  favorable 
  localities 
  in 
  the 
  elevated 
  

   region 
  of 
  the 
  Eocky 
  Mountains 
  or 
  immediately 
  bordering 
  it 
  from 
  the 
  

  

  