﻿596 
  REPOET 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  GEOLOGICAL 
  SURVEY. 
  

  

  about 
  9,000 
  feet 
  ever 
  arrived 
  at 
  maturity; 
  they 
  may 
  winter 
  over 
  and 
  

   acquire 
  wings 
  in 
  the 
  spring, 
  but 
  this 
  is 
  improbable. 
  

  

  In 
  Northern 
  Colorado 
  the 
  grasshoppers 
  may 
  have 
  in 
  part 
  taken 
  wing 
  

   from 
  the 
  Laramie 
  Plains 
  of 
  Wyoming 
  and 
  the 
  plateau 
  east 
  of 
  the 
  Black 
  

   Hills, 
  while 
  the 
  swarms 
  devastating 
  Southern 
  Colorado 
  may 
  have 
  been 
  

   in 
  part 
  indigenous 
  and 
  in 
  part 
  derived 
  from 
  the 
  plains 
  of 
  New 
  Mexico 
  

   on 
  the 
  south 
  and 
  Utah 
  on 
  the 
  west. 
  

  

  As 
  I 
  was 
  not 
  able 
  to 
  observe 
  the 
  locust 
  in 
  spring 
  or 
  late 
  in 
  the 
  sum- 
  

   mer, 
  I 
  am 
  obliged 
  to 
  rely 
  on 
  the 
  statement 
  of 
  others 
  regarding 
  the 
  hab- 
  

   its 
  of 
  the 
  locust 
  at 
  these 
  periods. 
  The 
  following 
  letters 
  from 
  W. 
  "N. 
  

   Byers, 
  esq., 
  written 
  at 
  my 
  request, 
  give 
  an 
  able 
  summary 
  of 
  the 
  results 
  

   of 
  his 
  observations 
  and 
  are 
  of 
  value, 
  as 
  the 
  leading 
  points 
  confirm 
  my 
  

   own 
  impressions. 
  It 
  will 
  be 
  seen 
  that 
  I 
  quite 
  agree 
  with 
  Mr. 
  Byers's 
  

   view 
  that 
  comparatively 
  few 
  of 
  the 
  swarms 
  originate 
  in 
  the 
  mountain 
  

   ctinon, 
  as 
  originally 
  stated 
  by 
  the 
  late 
  Mr. 
  B. 
  D. 
  Walsh 
  (based 
  on 
  the 
  

   statements 
  of 
  Drs. 
  Parry 
  and 
  Velie), 
  and 
  reiterated 
  by 
  others: 
  

  

  Denver, 
  Colo., 
  August 
  22, 
  1875. 
  

  

  Dear 
  Sir: 
  Your 
  letter 
  of 
  16th 
  instant 
  is 
  before 
  me, 
  and 
  fearing 
  that 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  mis- 
  

   laid 
  or 
  overlooked 
  if 
  not 
  answered 
  until 
  " 
  the 
  close 
  oi' 
  the 
  season," 
  I 
  will 
  endeavor 
  to 
  

   reply, 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  able 
  to 
  do 
  so, 
  now. 
  

  

  Some 
  years 
  ago 
  I 
  answered 
  a 
  similar 
  inqniry 
  from 
  Prof. 
  Cyrus 
  Thomas, 
  also 
  of 
  Dr. 
  

   Hayden's 
  Survey, 
  and 
  I 
  think 
  it 
  found 
  place 
  in 
  some 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  reports. 
  My 
  opinion 
  

   respecting 
  the 
  hatching-fields, 
  &c., 
  of 
  the 
  grasshopper 
  was 
  then 
  seriously 
  questioned, 
  

   but 
  Professor 
  Thomas, 
  after 
  another 
  year's 
  observation 
  and 
  study, 
  freely 
  admitted 
  that 
  

   I 
  was 
  right. 
  I 
  presume 
  you 
  have 
  seen 
  what 
  I 
  wrote 
  at 
  that 
  time, 
  or 
  if 
  you 
  have 
  not, 
  

   that 
  you 
  can 
  readily 
  do 
  so. 
  My 
  opinions 
  have 
  not 
  changed 
  since. 
  I 
  may 
  here 
  say 
  that 
  

   I 
  first 
  made 
  the 
  acquaintance 
  of 
  the 
  destructive 
  grasshopper 
  in 
  1852, 
  about 
  the 
  1st 
  of 
  

   August, 
  upon 
  the 
  plains 
  of 
  Northern 
  Utah 
  and 
  Southern 
  Idaho, 
  at 
  which 
  time 
  they 
  

   were 
  flying 
  east-northeast 
  in 
  swarms 
  that 
  obscured 
  the 
  sun. 
  

  

  Their 
  breeding-places 
  may 
  be 
  in 
  any 
  part 
  of 
  this 
  arid 
  portion 
  (the 
  western 
  half) 
  cf 
  

   the 
  United 
  States. 
  The 
  great 
  swarms 
  that 
  attain 
  maturity 
  and 
  migrate 
  are 
  hatched, 
  

   doubtless, 
  within 
  altitudes 
  ranging 
  from 
  4,000 
  to 
  7,0€0 
  feet 
  above 
  sea-level. 
  At 
  7,000 
  

   to 
  8,000 
  feet 
  they 
  may 
  so 
  far 
  mature 
  as 
  to 
  make 
  short 
  flights 
  and 
  remove 
  to 
  new 
  local- 
  

   ities 
  not 
  far 
  distant. 
  Above 
  8,000 
  feet 
  they 
  seldom, 
  if 
  ever, 
  become 
  able 
  to 
  fly, 
  though 
  

   I 
  have 
  seen 
  myriads 
  of 
  them 
  hatched 
  at 
  10,000, 
  11,000, 
  nhd 
  even 
  up 
  to 
  12,000 
  feet 
  aboVe 
  

   the 
  sea. 
  Probably 
  they 
  did 
  not 
  attain 
  more 
  than 
  one-third 
  of 
  their 
  growth 
  before 
  

   being 
  destroyed 
  by 
  autumn 
  frosts 
  and 
  snows. 
  

  

  The 
  most 
  favorable 
  hatching-grounds 
  are 
  the 
  plains 
  like 
  this 
  east 
  of 
  the 
  mountains, 
  

   upon 
  which 
  are 
  situate 
  Denver, 
  Pueblo, 
  Greeley, 
  Cheyenne, 
  Fort 
  Laramie, 
  &e., 
  from 
  

   4,000 
  to 
  6,000 
  feet 
  above 
  the 
  sea. 
  Where 
  they 
  settle 
  down 
  to 
  propagate 
  their 
  species 
  

   they 
  must 
  have 
  subsistence 
  ; 
  hence 
  there 
  must 
  be 
  fertility 
  and 
  vegetation. 
  As 
  to 
  the 
  

   latter, 
  they 
  are 
  not 
  very 
  particular, 
  but 
  are 
  sure 
  to 
  take 
  the 
  best 
  there 
  is. 
  Sexual 
  

   union 
  begins 
  in 
  August 
  and 
  the 
  deposit 
  of 
  eggs 
  soon 
  after, 
  and 
  both 
  continue 
  theu 
  

   until 
  stopped 
  by 
  severe 
  frosty 
  weather, 
  say 
  in 
  October. 
  They 
  choose, 
  first, 
  plowed 
  

   ground 
  ; 
  second, 
  comparatively 
  loose 
  sandy 
  or 
  gravelly 
  land, 
  partially 
  but 
  not 
  thickly 
  

   covered 
  with 
  grass 
  or 
  other 
  vegetation 
  ; 
  third, 
  the 
  most 
  favorable 
  spots 
  where 
  they 
  

   may 
  happen 
  to 
  be 
  and 
  from 
  which 
  they 
  are 
  not 
  able 
  to 
  get 
  away. 
  The 
  female, 
  with 
  

   her 
  nether 
  extremity, 
  perforates 
  a 
  hole 
  in 
  the 
  ground 
  about 
  as 
  deep 
  as 
  the 
  length 
  of 
  

   her 
  body, 
  and 
  deposits 
  a 
  cluster 
  of 
  eggs 
  that 
  resemble 
  in 
  size 
  asd 
  form 
  the 
  eggs 
  of 
  the 
  

   caterpillar-moth 
  attached 
  to 
  the 
  twig 
  of 
  an 
  apple 
  or 
  cherry 
  tree, 
  except 
  that 
  in 
  the 
  

   place 
  of 
  the 
  twig 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  hollow 
  space. 
  They 
  are 
  cemented 
  together 
  by 
  a 
  glutinous 
  

   substance, 
  which 
  is 
  doubtless 
  impervious 
  to 
  water. 
  The 
  eggs 
  deposited, 
  the 
  hole 
  above 
  

   them 
  is 
  soon 
  filled 
  and 
  leveled 
  by 
  wind 
  or 
  rain. 
  In 
  a 
  warm 
  winter 
  young 
  grasshop- 
  

   pers 
  are 
  frequently 
  found 
  hatching 
  out 
  at 
  various 
  periods. 
  They, 
  have 
  been 
  noted 
  here 
  

   in 
  November, 
  in 
  February, 
  March, 
  and 
  April, 
  but 
  of 
  course 
  only 
  in 
  limited 
  areas 
  and 
  

   small 
  numbers; 
  and 
  such 
  do 
  no 
  harm, 
  being 
  soon 
  destroyed 
  by 
  cold. 
  The 
  main 
  hatch' 
  

   ing 
  begins 
  about 
  the 
  second 
  week 
  in 
  May, 
  and 
  lasts, 
  say, 
  a 
  month. 
  At 
  higher 
  alti- 
  

   tudes, 
  irom 
  7,000 
  to 
  12,000 
  feet 
  (if 
  eggs 
  happen 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  deposited 
  there, 
  which 
  is 
  

   rarely 
  the 
  case), 
  the 
  hatching 
  continues 
  from 
  the 
  above 
  dates 
  until 
  the 
  last 
  of 
  August 
  

   or 
  even 
  into 
  September, 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  altitude. 
  But 
  from 
  all 
  these 
  latter 
  no 
  harm 
  need 
  

   ever 
  be 
  feared. 
  

  

  The 
  flight 
  af 
  moving 
  swarms 
  is 
  governed 
  mainly 
  by 
  the 
  prevailing 
  winds, 
  although 
  

   they 
  seem 
  to 
  be 
  controlled 
  somewhat 
  by 
  choice 
  or 
  laws 
  of 
  their 
  own. 
  A 
  change 
  of 
  

   wind, 
  or 
  particularly 
  a 
  sudden 
  chill, 
  even 
  slight, 
  brings 
  a 
  flight 
  of 
  them 
  quickly 
  to 
  

   the 
  ground 
  ; 
  but 
  if 
  the 
  next 
  day 
  is 
  fair 
  and 
  warm, 
  and 
  the 
  wind 
  favorable, 
  they 
  again 
  

  

  