﻿PACKARD.] 
  THE 
  LOCUST 
  IN 
  NEBRASKA 
  IN 
  1876. 
  613 
  

  

  Mr. 
  G. 
  F. 
  Dodge, 
  of 
  Glencoe, 
  Nebr. 
  As 
  Mr. 
  Dodge 
  is 
  an 
  entomologist, 
  

   liis 
  testimony 
  is 
  of 
  increased 
  value 
  : 
  

  

  Glencoe, 
  Nebr., 
  February 
  4, 
  1877. 
  

  

  Dear 
  Sir 
  : 
  

  

  »' 
  «• 
  jf 
  * 
  # 
  # 
  * 
  

  

  Since 
  I 
  have 
  been 
  here 
  I 
  have 
  given 
  more 
  attention 
  to 
  the 
  Caloptenus 
  spretus 
  than 
  

   to 
  all 
  other 
  insects 
  together. 
  The 
  result 
  of 
  my 
  observations 
  has 
  been 
  that 
  I 
  have 
  

   formed 
  a 
  theory 
  of 
  the 
  cause 
  of 
  immigration 
  of 
  this 
  insect, 
  vrhich 
  differs 
  radically 
  from 
  

   any 
  yet 
  put 
  forth. 
  My 
  record 
  of 
  the 
  insect's 
  visitations 
  runs 
  like 
  this 
  : 
  

  

  In 
  1873, 
  C. 
  spretus 
  came 
  from 
  the 
  south 
  in 
  May; 
  remained 
  a 
  week 
  or 
  ten 
  days 
  ; 
  deposited 
  

   eggs 
  in 
  large 
  quantity 
  at 
  this 
  place. 
  I 
  came 
  here 
  August 
  7 
  ; 
  the 
  insects 
  had 
  then 
  about 
  

   all 
  attained 
  their 
  wings. 
  During 
  their 
  growth 
  they 
  had 
  done 
  much 
  damage 
  to 
  crops, 
  

   destroying 
  all 
  the 
  oats 
  and 
  corn 
  where 
  they 
  were 
  abundant. 
  The 
  insects 
  did 
  not 
  move 
  

   until 
  August 
  16, 
  when 
  the 
  wind, 
  which 
  had 
  been 
  from 
  the 
  south 
  continuously 
  during 
  

   the 
  mouth, 
  veered 
  round 
  into 
  the 
  northwest. 
  They 
  arose 
  about 
  noon, 
  and 
  all 
  left. 
  

   Others 
  flew 
  over, 
  going 
  south 
  from 
  that 
  time 
  until 
  cold 
  weather. 
  Some 
  eggs 
  were 
  de- 
  

   posited 
  in 
  the 
  fall. 
  

  

  In 
  1874, 
  a 
  few 
  came 
  from 
  the 
  southwest 
  May 
  30, 
  but 
  only 
  a 
  few. 
  May 
  10 
  the 
  eggs 
  

   laid 
  the 
  fall 
  before 
  were 
  hatching. 
  They 
  pupated 
  about 
  June 
  1, 
  became 
  imagines 
  

   about 
  June 
  20, 
  and 
  went 
  south 
  with 
  northerly 
  winds 
  June 
  30. 
  July 
  23 
  immense 
  swarm 
  

   alighted, 
  coming 
  from 
  the 
  northeast 
  July 
  23 
  ; 
  staid 
  three 
  days, 
  and 
  went 
  south. 
  I 
  saw 
  

   no 
  eggs 
  deposited. 
  Others 
  went 
  south 
  in 
  August, 
  September, 
  and 
  October 
  as 
  usual. 
  

  

  In 
  1875, 
  they 
  arrived 
  in 
  small 
  quantity 
  from 
  southwest 
  May 
  12 
  ; 
  could 
  be 
  seen 
  flying 
  

   north 
  whenever 
  we 
  had 
  a 
  south 
  wind, 
  but 
  especially 
  on 
  and 
  after 
  June 
  16. 
  On 
  that 
  

   date 
  myriads 
  came 
  from 
  the 
  southeast, 
  staid 
  one 
  night, 
  aud, 
  the 
  wind 
  continuing 
  fa- 
  

   vorable, 
  went 
  on 
  in 
  a 
  northwesterly 
  course. 
  June 
  29 
  I 
  first 
  saw 
  hoppers 
  flying 
  south. 
  

   After 
  that 
  they 
  could 
  be 
  seen 
  flying 
  either 
  north 
  or 
  south, 
  as 
  the 
  wind 
  might 
  be, 
  until 
  

   the 
  10th 
  of 
  July, 
  after 
  which 
  date 
  they 
  only 
  appeared 
  in 
  the 
  air 
  when 
  the 
  wind 
  came 
  

   from 
  the 
  north. 
  

  

  In 
  1876, 
  a 
  very 
  few 
  came 
  from 
  the 
  southwest 
  May 
  14 
  ; 
  saw 
  some 
  depositing 
  eggs 
  

   about 
  May 
  30. 
  August 
  10 
  an 
  immense 
  swarm 
  came 
  from 
  the 
  northwest 
  and 
  staid 
  a 
  

   week. 
  The 
  day 
  they 
  departed 
  the 
  wind 
  began 
  to 
  blow 
  from 
  the 
  northwest, 
  changed 
  

   to 
  north, 
  and 
  finally 
  to 
  northeast. 
  The 
  air 
  was 
  full 
  of 
  the 
  hoppers 
  all 
  day. 
  They 
  

   always 
  changed 
  their 
  course 
  to 
  go 
  with 
  the 
  wind. 
  They 
  left 
  the 
  ground 
  full 
  of 
  

   eggs. 
  In 
  these 
  the 
  embryo 
  was 
  formed 
  at 
  least 
  a 
  month 
  before 
  the 
  ground 
  froze. 
  By 
  

   bringing 
  eggs 
  to 
  the 
  house 
  and 
  putting 
  them 
  in 
  a 
  warm 
  place 
  I 
  have 
  hatched 
  them 
  in 
  

   seven 
  days. 
  Some 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  that 
  were 
  not 
  kept 
  so 
  warm, 
  but 
  merely 
  kept 
  from 
  frost 
  

   and 
  in 
  the 
  sun, 
  have 
  lain 
  three 
  weeks 
  and 
  do 
  not 
  hatch. 
  

  

  I 
  think 
  the 
  above 
  notes 
  substantiate 
  my 
  position, 
  which 
  is 
  that 
  spretus 
  is 
  double 
  

   brooded, 
  rearing 
  the 
  first 
  brood 
  in 
  the 
  south, 
  the 
  second 
  in 
  the 
  north 
  ; 
  and 
  that 
  it 
  mi- 
  

   grates 
  for 
  this 
  purpose, 
  and 
  not 
  from 
  hunger, 
  as 
  Eiley 
  asserts. 
  I 
  believe 
  also 
  that 
  they 
  

   are 
  natives 
  of 
  the 
  plains, 
  and 
  will 
  always 
  overrun 
  this 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  country 
  when 
  a 
  north 
  

   or 
  southwest 
  wind 
  drives 
  them 
  a 
  little 
  off 
  their 
  true 
  north 
  and 
  south 
  course 
  during 
  their 
  

   period 
  of 
  migration. 
  I 
  do 
  not 
  believe 
  that 
  they 
  are 
  more 
  liable 
  to 
  attacks 
  of 
  parasites 
  

   here 
  than 
  elsewhere, 
  and, 
  indeed, 
  think 
  it 
  not 
  improbable 
  that 
  their 
  present 
  rate 
  of 
  in- 
  

   crease 
  is 
  due 
  to 
  their 
  having 
  found 
  more 
  nutritious 
  food 
  in 
  the 
  cereals 
  upon 
  which 
  tliey 
  

   have 
  fed 
  for 
  a 
  few 
  years 
  past 
  than 
  they 
  have 
  known 
  in 
  the 
  j)rairie-grass. 
  A 
  parallel 
  

   case 
  is 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  Z)o?'2/7J/iora 
  lO-Hweato, 
  which 
  increased 
  with 
  such 
  rapidity 
  upon 
  the 
  

   cultivated 
  crops 
  of 
  the 
  East. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  Rocky 
  Mountains 
  this 
  grasshopper 
  follows 
  the 
  same 
  plan 
  of 
  migration 
  with 
  the 
  

   first 
  favorable 
  wind 
  after 
  they 
  get 
  wings, 
  as 
  I 
  have 
  observed 
  here. 
  They 
  were 
  abun- 
  

   dant 
  in 
  Montana 
  this 
  year, 
  and 
  at 
  my 
  request 
  an 
  intelligent 
  miner 
  took 
  notes 
  of 
  their 
  

   babits, 
  which 
  he 
  has 
  transmitted 
  to 
  me. 
  My 
  observations 
  show 
  that 
  as 
  a 
  rule 
  all 
  ob- 
  

   taining 
  wings 
  prior 
  to 
  June 
  20 
  will 
  fly 
  north; 
  those 
  becoming 
  imagines 
  after 
  that 
  date 
  

   will 
  fly 
  south. 
  This 
  date 
  might 
  vary 
  as 
  the 
  spring 
  was 
  late 
  or 
  early. 
  

  

  Hoping 
  to 
  make 
  myself 
  useful 
  next 
  season, 
  I 
  remain, 
  yours, 
  truly, 
  

  

  G. 
  M. 
  DODGE. 
  

  

  The 
  following 
  statement 
  regarding 
  the 
  appearance 
  of 
  the 
  locust, 
  in 
  

   Buffalo 
  County, 
  Nebraska, 
  and 
  the 
  theory 
  of 
  its 
  northwest 
  origin, 
  are 
  

   worth 
  V 
  of 
  nrpsprvation 
  in 
  this 
  "Rpnort 
  : 
  

  

  jt3unaio 
  uounry, 
  iNeorasKa, 
  ana 
  tne 
  cm 
  

   worthy 
  of 
  preservation 
  in 
  this 
  Eeport 
  : 
  

  

  Buffalo 
  County, 
  Nebraska, 
  August 
  8, 
  1876. 
  

  

  Editors 
  Country 
  Gentleman 
  : 
  The 
  all-prevailing 
  theme, 
  the 
  all-absorbing 
  topio 
  

  

  on 
  all 
  occasions, 
  is 
  the 
  grasshoppers. 
  Their 
  devastation 
  in 
  almost 
  the 
  entire 
  portion 
  

  

  of 
  Western 
  Nebraska 
  is 
  not 
  only 
  general 
  but 
  terrible. 
  Their 
  numbers 
  are 
  almost 
  as 
  

  

  countless 
  as 
  the 
  sands 
  on 
  the 
  sea-shore 
  ; 
  their 
  powers 
  of 
  destruction 
  seem 
  to 
  exceed 
  

  

  