﻿608 
  EEPORT 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  GEOLOGICAL 
  SURVEY. 
  

  

  Geological 
  Survey, 
  I 
  have 
  received 
  from 
  Mr. 
  Sanford 
  Fleming, 
  eogineer- 
  

   in-cbief 
  of 
  the 
  Cauadian 
  Pacific 
  Railway, 
  a 
  copy 
  of 
  a 
  ''Map 
  of 
  the 
  

   country 
  to 
  be 
  traversed 
  by 
  the 
  Canadian 
  Pacific 
  Railway 
  to 
  accompany 
  

   progress-report 
  on 
  the 
  exploratory 
  surveys, 
  1876; 
  Sanford 
  Fleming, 
  

   engiueer-in-cbief." 
  On 
  this 
  map 
  the 
  " 
  southern 
  limits 
  of 
  the 
  true 
  forests" 
  

   are 
  laid 
  down* 
  on 
  a 
  line 
  running 
  in 
  a 
  general 
  northwest 
  direction 
  from 
  

   a 
  little 
  to 
  the 
  eastward 
  of 
  Fort 
  Ellice, 
  in 
  about 
  latitude 
  54° 
  30', 
  longi- 
  

   tude 
  110° 
  10'. 
  This 
  line 
  is 
  iudicaied 
  on 
  the 
  map 
  showing 
  the 
  distribu- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  the 
  red-legged 
  locust 
  {G. 
  femur 
  rubrum). 
  " 
  The 
  northern 
  limit 
  of 
  

   true 
  prairie-land" 
  is 
  also 
  copied 
  on 
  the 
  same 
  map 
  from 
  Mr. 
  Fleming's 
  

   map. 
  It 
  runs 
  from 
  Turtle 
  Mountain 
  on 
  the 
  forty-ninth 
  parallel, 
  a 
  little 
  

   east 
  of 
  south 
  of 
  Fort 
  Ellice, 
  and 
  runs 
  in 
  a 
  general 
  parallel 
  course 
  to 
  the 
  

   limit 
  of 
  forests, 
  and 
  ends 
  at 
  the 
  Bear 
  Hills, 
  just 
  south 
  of 
  the 
  fifty-second 
  

   parallel 
  of 
  latitude 
  and 
  in 
  longitude 
  108°. 
  Professor 
  Dawson 
  writes 
  me 
  

   that 
  "no 
  map 
  yet 
  shows 
  even 
  approximately 
  the 
  area 
  of 
  the 
  Pever 
  

   Eiver 
  Prairies, 
  but 
  these 
  are 
  separated 
  by 
  forests 
  from 
  those 
  to 
  the 
  south, 
  

   and 
  are 
  never 
  invaded 
  by 
  C. 
  spretus.''^ 
  This 
  is 
  most 
  important 
  and 
  sat- 
  

   isfactory 
  inlormation, 
  and 
  confirms 
  Prpfessor 
  Dawson's 
  statement 
  as 
  

   to 
  the 
  northeastern 
  limits 
  of 
  the 
  lowest 
  area, 
  which 
  are 
  herein 
  already 
  

   quoted. 
  It 
  would 
  seem 
  doubtful 
  whether 
  the 
  Eocky 
  Mountain 
  locusc 
  

   breeds 
  abundantly 
  north 
  of 
  the 
  Little 
  Slave 
  Lake. 
  The 
  data 
  a^fforded 
  by 
  

   this 
  map 
  also 
  confirm 
  me 
  in 
  my 
  indications 
  of 
  the 
  western 
  limits 
  of 
  the 
  

   prairie 
  region 
  and 
  temporary 
  and 
  periodical 
  breeding-places 
  of 
  the 
  Eocky 
  

   Mountain 
  locust, 
  which 
  probably 
  follows 
  approximaiely 
  the 
  meridian 
  of 
  

   102°, 
  pursuing 
  a 
  sinuous 
  course 
  indicated 
  by 
  a 
  rauge 
  of 
  hills 
  put 
  down 
  

   on 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  maps, 
  from 
  which 
  Mr. 
  BecMer 
  has 
  compiled 
  the 
  

   maps 
  accompanying 
  this 
  report. 
  The 
  barren 
  plains 
  extend 
  just 
  nortn 
  

   of 
  the 
  forty-ninth 
  parallel 
  as 
  far 
  east 
  as 
  longitude 
  104°, 
  and 
  this 
  may 
  be 
  

   the 
  southeastern 
  limits 
  of 
  the 
  permanent 
  breeding-places 
  of 
  the 
  locust 
  

   north 
  of 
  the 
  forty-ninth 
  parallel. 
  

  

  That 
  the 
  return 
  swarms 
  from 
  Missouri, 
  Kansas, 
  and 
  Nebraska 
  may 
  

   reach 
  British 
  America 
  is 
  suggested 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Allen 
  Whitman 
  in 
  his 
  report 
  

   for 
  1870 
  : 
  

  

  Whether 
  or 
  not 
  it 
  is 
  a 
  general 
  rule 
  that 
  the 
  locusts 
  on 
  o,cquiring 
  wings 
  seek 
  the 
  di- 
  

   rection 
  from 
  which 
  their 
  parents 
  bad 
  come 
  in 
  the 
  preceding 
  year 
  (a 
  rule 
  which 
  the 
  

   experience 
  of 
  Minnesota 
  fails 
  to 
  substantiate), 
  it 
  is 
  certain 
  at 
  least 
  that 
  in 
  1875 
  " 
  the 
  

   main 
  direction 
  taken 
  by 
  the 
  insects 
  that 
  rose 
  from 
  the 
  Lower 
  Missouri 
  Valley 
  country 
  

   was 
  northwesterly." 
  (Riley's 
  Eighth 
  Annual 
  Report, 
  p. 
  105.) 
  These 
  swarms 
  were 
  

   traced 
  by 
  Professor 
  Riley, 
  moving 
  northerly 
  from 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  May 
  through 
  June 
  and 
  

   into 
  July, 
  and 
  passing 
  various 
  points 
  in 
  Dakota, 
  Wyoming, 
  and 
  Montana.! 
  

  

  They 
  passed 
  northward 
  over 
  Bismarck 
  at 
  vaxious 
  times 
  between 
  June 
  6 
  and 
  July 
  15. 
  

   (Same 
  report, 
  p. 
  86.) 
  J3ut 
  a 
  still 
  more 
  definite 
  statement 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  final 
  destination 
  of 
  

   these 
  northward-moving 
  swarms 
  is 
  found 
  in 
  an 
  editorial 
  of 
  the 
  Winnipeg 
  Stand, 
  of 
  

   August 
  19, 
  1876, 
  entitled 
  '-Locust 
  flights." 
  It 
  is 
  there 
  stated 
  that 
  in 
  1875, 
  "the 
  lo- 
  

   custs 
  which 
  hatched 
  in 
  Missouri, 
  Kansas, 
  and 
  Nebraska, 
  in 
  an 
  aTea 
  of 
  250 
  miles 
  from 
  

   east 
  to 
  west, 
  and 
  300 
  miles 
  from 
  north 
  to 
  south, 
  took 
  flight 
  in 
  June, 
  and 
  invariably 
  

   weut 
  northwest, 
  and 
  fell 
  in 
  innumerable 
  swarms 
  upon 
  the 
  regions 
  of 
  British 
  America, 
  

   adjoiuiug 
  Forts 
  Pelly, 
  Carlton, 
  and 
  Ellice, 
  covering 
  an 
  area 
  as 
  large 
  as 
  that 
  they 
  va- 
  

   cated 
  on 
  1 
  he 
  Missouri 
  River. 
  They 
  were 
  re-enforced 
  by 
  the 
  retiring 
  column 
  from 
  Man- 
  

   itoba, 
  and 
  it 
  seemed 
  to 
  be 
  hoping 
  against 
  hope 
  that 
  the 
  new 
  swarms 
  of 
  1876 
  would 
  not 
  

   again 
  descend 
  upon 
  the 
  settlements 
  in 
  the 
  Eed 
  River 
  Valley. 
  Intelligence 
  was 
  received 
  

  

  * 
  Professor 
  Dawson 
  informs 
  me 
  that 
  this 
  is 
  taken 
  from 
  Palliser's 
  Map, 
  published 
  as 
  

   a 
  blue-book 
  by 
  the 
  British 
  government, 
  forming 
  a 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  report 
  on 
  explorations 
  in 
  

   Biitish 
  North 
  America. 
  

  

  t 
  He 
  adds 
  (page 
  108) 
  : 
  "Nor 
  can 
  I 
  learn 
  of 
  any 
  instance 
  where 
  these 
  swarms 
  that 
  

   loit 
  our 
  Territory 
  deposited 
  eggs." 
  The 
  different 
  case 
  of 
  our 
  oAvn 
  breed 
  of 
  locusts, 
  lay- 
  

   ing 
  eggs 
  within 
  two 
  weeks 
  atter 
  flying 
  commences, 
  is 
  remarkable. 
  But 
  I 
  am 
  informed 
  

   by 
  Capt. 
  J. 
  S, 
  Poland, 
  commandiug 
  at 
  Standing 
  Rock, 
  that 
  a 
  swarm 
  from 
  the 
  south 
  

   alighted 
  near 
  that 
  post 
  July 
  4, 
  1875, 
  and 
  deposited 
  considerable 
  quantities 
  of 
  eggs 
  be- 
  

   tween 
  the 
  4ihaud 
  the 
  18th 
  of 
  July. 
  

  

  