504 REPORT UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



ininf^linj? with the pale-green pupfBof Caloptenmhivittatits iUK\ thelarvsB 

 iiui] adult of Q^dipoda Carolina. 



At Idaho Springs (7,330 feet elevation), July 5, the young larvfc of the 

 locust were smaller than 1 had yet seen, being ahout a quarter of an inch 

 long, and in all stagers, from the lately-hatclied to the pupw and winged 

 individuals. 1 was told, however, that the first brootl of locusts hatched 

 about the end of April and early in May, but that winged individuals 

 did not api)ear until June 20. On Gray's Peak, July 7, owing to the 

 coolness of the day, a little snow falling on the summit and rain below, 

 no grasshoppers, wingless or winged, were seen. In Kelso Gulch, 

 near Georgetown, no young were seen, and but a few winged ones. At 

 Georgetown (8,412 feet elevation), on the flats near the town the young 

 were a quarter to one-half an inch long. Mr. E. S. Morrison informed 

 me that the locust at Georgetown begins to hatch about the 1st of June, 

 a month or more later than at Denver, and continues to hatch out until 

 the 1st of July, as the localities differ in height. About June L'3, he said, 

 the locusts begin to get their wings, but they do not migrate until 

 August, when they assemble in great swarms on the mountains, and 

 falling on the snow in immense numbers, are eaten by the bears. 



July 9, at Floyd's Hill the grasshoppers were seen by thousands fly- 

 ing westward lip the canon. 1 did not go into South Park, but was 

 told by an intelligent young man that at a point about a thousand feet; 

 below'the level of the park he saw the locusts flying about June 25, 



July 12, in the Garden of the Gods (about 0,200 feet elevation), while 

 there were few to be seen on the ground, the air was filled with them, 

 flying at all distances from 100 to more than 1,000 feet, for their altitude 

 could be approximately measured by the higliest sandstone column of 

 the Cathedral Kocks. "^When a locust takes wing, it rises more readily 

 on a light breeze and flies off" in a zigzag course, gradually lising 

 in height until it sails about, if the wind is light, in an uncertain course. 

 In the Garden of the Gods, where the breeze was northeast, they were 

 driven southwest; but farther up the valley, toward Manitou Si)rings 

 (0,297 feet elevation), when the wind was westerly, they were borne in 

 an easterly direction. Their rapidity of flight seemed to depend on the 

 strength of the wind, and when the latter was light, individuals could 

 be seen flying about in all directions, crossing each other in their flight, 

 but the swarm as a whole were moving with the wind. A few puptE 

 were seen on the ground. 



At Manitou, the locusts are said to have hatched out in April, and to 

 have taken two months to get their wings. A few pupte were still to be 

 seen in the oats, and in the spring they did a good deal of damage, 

 thinning the oats and devouring the beets and other garden-vegetables. 

 There were few grasshopi)ers to be seen in the air at half past 8 in the 

 morning, but by 11 o'clock there were many more. There is probably 

 good ground for the popular opinion that they descend to the ground 

 at night and fly up toward midday, flying by day and resting and feed- 

 ing at night. 



At this date I was informed by a man who had just arrived from Fair 

 Play (elevation 9,904 feet) that' there were few locusts (C ,s;)/Wjw) in 

 South Park (8,000 to 10,000 feet elevation) and Arkansas Valley this 

 summer. 



Mr. W. n. Holmes, assistant on the Survey, writes from Southern Col- 

 orado that the grasshoppers had " eaten up everything" on the La Plata. 



On July 14, I ascended Pike's Peak, and at an elevation of about 

 8,000 to 9,000 feet found larvse in the second stage and pui)£e of C. spre- 

 tus. Some not more than oue-flfth of an inch long were seen clustering 



