﻿PACKARD.] 
  HABITS 
  OF 
  THE 
  LOCUST. 
  625 
  

  

  Under 
  date 
  of 
  March 
  4, 
  1877, 
  Lieutenaut 
  Carpenter 
  writes 
  me 
  from 
  

   Camp 
  Eobinson, 
  Nebraska: 
  "The 
  warm 
  weather 
  has 
  hatched 
  out 
  the 
  

   eggs 
  iu 
  Western 
  Nebraska 
  and 
  a 
  snow-storm 
  has 
  since 
  destroyed 
  the 
  

   young." 
  

  

  In 
  Montana 
  the 
  Monthly 
  Weather 
  Review 
  reports 
  locust 
  as 
  hatch- 
  

   ing 
  out 
  by 
  millions 
  in 
  valleys 
  about 
  Virginia 
  City. 
  May 
  28 
  they 
  were 
  

   numerous 
  throughout 
  the 
  Territory; 
  27th, 
  began 
  to 
  fly. 
  In 
  July 
  they 
  

   were 
  seen 
  flying 
  southwest 
  11th 
  to 
  2()th, 
  and 
  southeast 
  27th 
  to 
  31st; 
  much 
  

   damage 
  done 
  in 
  some 
  localities. 
  In 
  August 
  millions 
  flying 
  southeast 
  

   Isl 
  to 
  5th 
  at 
  Virginia 
  City; 
  decreased 
  iu 
  numbers 
  until 
  29th; 
  no 
  eggs 
  

   deposited. 
  According 
  to 
  the 
  Monthly 
  Agricultural 
  Eeport 
  for 
  July, 
  

   grasshoppers 
  were 
  abundant 
  in 
  July 
  at 
  Jefferson, 
  and 
  threatened 
  to 
  

   greatly 
  reduce 
  the 
  wheat-crop. 
  It 
  should 
  be 
  noticed 
  that 
  the 
  summer 
  of 
  

   1876 
  was 
  a 
  hot 
  and 
  dry 
  one 
  throughout 
  the 
  West. 
  

  

  I 
  quote 
  further 
  information 
  regarding 
  the 
  locust 
  in 
  Montana 
  from 
  Mr. 
  

   Whitman's 
  report 
  for 
  187G. 
  Besides 
  the 
  region 
  named 
  in 
  the 
  article 
  

   above 
  quoted 
  from 
  the 
  Winnipeg 
  Standard, 
  various 
  parts 
  of 
  Montana 
  

   are 
  known 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  considerable 
  hatching-grounds 
  during 
  the 
  past 
  

   spring. 
  In 
  the 
  Bismarck 
  Tribune 
  of 
  June 
  14 
  is 
  found 
  the 
  following, 
  

   which 
  is 
  quoted 
  because 
  it 
  gives 
  an 
  idea 
  not 
  only 
  of 
  the 
  place 
  but 
  of 
  the 
  

   nature 
  of 
  a 
  breeding-ground 
  : 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  Field, 
  near 
  Rosebud 
  Buttes, 
  May 
  29, 
  1876. 
  

  

  As 
  we 
  move 
  westward 
  the 
  grazing 
  improves, 
  and 
  here 
  in 
  the 
  Little 
  Missouri 
  Valley 
  

   the 
  .season 
  is 
  at 
  least 
  a 
  month 
  in 
  advance 
  of 
  the 
  season 
  on 
  the 
  Missouri. 
  This 
  would 
  

   l>e 
  a 
  splendid 
  grazing 
  region 
  were 
  the 
  water 
  good. 
  The 
  grass 
  is 
  heavy 
  and 
  nutri- 
  

   tions, 
  but 
  the 
  water 
  is 
  strongly 
  impregnated 
  with 
  alkali. 
  Millions 
  of 
  locusts 
  are 
  just 
  

   now 
  making 
  their 
  appearance 
  in 
  this 
  region. 
  Too 
  young 
  to 
  fly 
  or 
  do 
  much 
  harm, 
  iu 
  a 
  

   few 
  days, 
  should 
  the 
  winds 
  favor 
  them, 
  they 
  will 
  sweep 
  down 
  upon 
  the 
  defenseless 
  

   agriculturists 
  on 
  the 
  border, 
  doing 
  untold 
  damage. 
  

  

  Officers 
  who 
  passed 
  over 
  the 
  country 
  between 
  the 
  Little 
  Missouri 
  and 
  the 
  Yellow- 
  

   stone 
  Rivers 
  duriug 
  the 
  spring 
  state 
  at 
  various 
  points 
  in 
  that 
  region 
  young 
  locusts 
  

   were 
  found 
  in 
  immense 
  numbers. 
  Shortly 
  before 
  the 
  23d 
  of 
  July 
  migrating 
  swarms 
  

   of 
  locusts 
  appeared 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  Geueral 
  Crook's 
  camp 
  ; 
  " 
  myriads 
  of 
  grasshoppers 
  

   filled 
  the 
  air, 
  appearing 
  like 
  an 
  immense 
  drifting 
  snow-storm, 
  tending 
  toward 
  the 
  

   southeast, 
  and 
  apparently 
  taking 
  advantage 
  of 
  a 
  northwest 
  wind 
  to 
  favor 
  their 
  flight 
  

   to 
  the 
  same 
  fields 
  that 
  they 
  have 
  eifectually 
  devastated 
  for 
  two 
  consecutive 
  seasons." 
  — 
  

   (Extract 
  from 
  a 
  letter 
  of 
  July 
  23, 
  quoted 
  in 
  the 
  Pioneer 
  Press 
  and 
  Tribune.) 
  

  

  HABITS 
  OF 
  THE 
  LOCUST. 
  

  

  The 
  following 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  habits 
  of 
  the 
  locust, 
  its 
  mode 
  and 
  time 
  

   of 
  egg-laying, 
  and 
  its 
  time 
  of 
  hatching, 
  is 
  compiled 
  

   /T 
  [ijv 
  from 
  the 
  statements 
  of 
  others, 
  as 
  I 
  have 
  only 
  been 
  iu 
  

  

  I 
  T'^^E^S^T^ 
  ^^^ 
  West 
  during 
  midsummer 
  after 
  the 
  young 
  had 
  

   I 
  S3 
  ^4§v/ 
  ^latched 
  and 
  before 
  the 
  eggs 
  were 
  laid. 
  Having, 
  

   ( 
  I 
  J'W^- 
  however, 
  obtained 
  the 
  eggs 
  of 
  C. 
  spretus 
  from 
  Iowa 
  

  

  Lm 
  ■.Y{y-^^~'& 
  and 
  Minnesota, 
  and 
  studied 
  the 
  habits 
  of 
  Ccdoptenus 
  

  

  ■^ 
  '^ 
  femar-ruhrum 
  of 
  the 
  East, 
  so 
  closely 
  allied 
  to 
  G. 
  

  

  Fig. 
  1. 
  — 
  Rocky 
  spretus^ 
  and 
  having 
  observed 
  the 
  movements 
  of 
  (Edip- 
  

   Mountain 
  Locust, 
  odd 
  sordida 
  and 
  Carolina 
  during 
  the 
  process 
  of 
  egg- 
  

   Egg-laying 
  ap- 
  laying, 
  I 
  can 
  more 
  intelligently 
  describe 
  the 
  process 
  

   malel^^^a 
  ^nd 
  of 
  i^ 
  spretus. 
  Indeed, 
  all 
  the 
  diflereut 
  species 
  of 
  grass- 
  

   abdomen- 
  b, 
  up- 
  hoppers 
  are 
  very 
  similar 
  in 
  their 
  habits, 
  nearly 
  all 
  

   per; 
  c, 
  under 
  laying 
  their 
  eggs 
  in 
  the 
  ground, 
  others 
  (as 
  in 
  CMoe- 
  

   ^^°^^- 
  atis) 
  inserting 
  them 
  in 
  rotten 
  wood. 
  When 
  about 
  to 
  

  

  lay 
  her 
  ripe 
  eggs, 
  the 
  female 
  selects 
  a 
  dry 
  field, 
  either 
  in 
  upland 
  pas- 
  

   ture 
  or 
  plowed 
  lands, 
  or 
  even 
  hard 
  roadsides 
  and 
  paths. 
  In 
  the 
  latter 
  

   place 
  they 
  are 
  more 
  frequently 
  observed; 
  but 
  from 
  being 
  interrupted 
  

   when 
  beginning 
  their 
  holes, 
  they 
  often 
  leave 
  smooth 
  round 
  holes, 
  a 
  little 
  

   smaller 
  than 
  a 
  lead 
  pencil, 
  and 
  without 
  any 
  egg-sac. 
  Immediately 
  after 
  

   10 
  G 
  s 
  

  

  