﻿PACKARD.] 
  TUE 
  MIGRATIONS 
  OF 
  THE 
  LOCUST. 
  643 
  

  

  the 
  locusts 
  is 
  maturing, 
  the 
  eggs 
  ripening, 
  and 
  the 
  uneasiness 
  of 
  the 
  

   locusts 
  during 
  the 
  course 
  of 
  their 
  travels 
  may 
  be 
  unconsciously 
  stimu- 
  

   lated 
  by 
  the 
  sexual 
  instincts 
  and 
  the 
  desire 
  to 
  discover 
  suitable 
  places 
  

   for 
  egg 
  laying, 
  a 
  long 
  and 
  tedious 
  operation. 
  

  

  It 
  has 
  been 
  sufficiently 
  shown 
  that 
  a 
  swarm 
  of 
  locusts 
  observed 
  by 
  Pro- 
  

   fessor 
  Robinson 
  near 
  the 
  entrance 
  to 
  Boulder 
  Caiion, 
  Colorado, 
  traveled 
  

   a 
  distance 
  of 
  about 
  six 
  hundred 
  miles 
  to 
  Eastern 
  Kansas 
  and 
  Missouri. 
  

   Though 
  the 
  swarm 
  was 
  first 
  observed 
  at 
  some 
  distance 
  north 
  of 
  Denver, 
  

   Colo., 
  it 
  was 
  then 
  on 
  its 
  way 
  from 
  the 
  north, 
  and 
  may 
  have 
  come 
  from 
  

   some 
  part 
  of 
  Wyoming 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  hundred 
  miles 
  northwestward 
  or 
  

   northward. 
  Though 
  the 
  winds 
  may 
  vary 
  and 
  counter-currents 
  exist, 
  

   and 
  storm-gusts 
  from 
  due 
  north, 
  such 
  as 
  often 
  sweep 
  over 
  the 
  plains, 
  

   and 
  local 
  southerly 
  breezes 
  may 
  retard 
  their 
  iiight, 
  the 
  course 
  is 
  either 
  

   eastward 
  or 
  southeasterly. 
  We 
  know 
  enough 
  of 
  the 
  winds 
  in 
  the 
  West- 
  

   ern 
  States 
  and 
  Territories 
  to 
  lay 
  down 
  the 
  the 
  law 
  that 
  the 
  general 
  direc- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  the 
  winds 
  in 
  July 
  and 
  August, 
  along 
  the 
  eastern 
  slope 
  of 
  the 
  

   Eocky 
  Mountains 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  plains, 
  is 
  from 
  the 
  west 
  and 
  northwest, 
  

   and 
  accords 
  with 
  the 
  eastward 
  course 
  of 
  the 
  locust 
  swarms. 
  The 
  rela- 
  

   tions 
  between 
  the 
  average 
  direction 
  of 
  the 
  winds 
  and 
  the 
  migrations 
  of 
  

   tiie 
  locust 
  have, 
  however, 
  never 
  been 
  sufficiently 
  studied, 
  either, 
  so 
  tar 
  

   as 
  we 
  are 
  aware, 
  in 
  Europe 
  or 
  in 
  this 
  country. 
  And 
  yet, 
  if 
  we 
  would 
  

   intelligently 
  studj 
  the 
  causes 
  of 
  the 
  excessive 
  increase 
  and 
  migrations 
  

   of 
  the 
  locust, 
  we 
  must 
  examine 
  the 
  meteorological 
  features 
  of 
  the 
  country, 
  

   ascertain 
  the 
  periods 
  of 
  drought 
  and 
  undue 
  rain-fall, 
  the 
  average 
  direc- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  the 
  wind 
  for 
  the 
  different 
  mouths, 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  learn 
  how 
  far 
  they 
  

   co'respond 
  with 
  the 
  phenomena 
  of 
  insect-life. 
  That 
  there 
  are 
  meteor- 
  

   ological 
  cycles, 
  dry 
  and 
  hot 
  seasons 
  recurring 
  at 
  irregular 
  intervals, 
  

   while 
  the 
  general 
  average 
  may 
  remain 
  nearly 
  the 
  same 
  century 
  after 
  

   century, 
  is 
  supported, 
  though 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  vaguely, 
  by 
  observed 
  meteor- 
  

   ological 
  facts. 
  • 
  

  

  The 
  question 
  then 
  arises, 
  Can 
  meteorologists 
  predict 
  the 
  coming 
  of 
  sea- 
  

   sons 
  of 
  undue 
  heat 
  and 
  drjught, 
  and 
  consequently 
  can 
  we 
  predict 
  insect- 
  

   years? 
  That 
  is, 
  the 
  migrations 
  of 
  locusts 
  and 
  the 
  undue 
  increase 
  of 
  the 
  

   chinch-bug 
  and 
  army 
  and 
  cotton 
  ivorin 
  f 
  I 
  believe 
  that 
  we 
  shall, 
  after 
  the 
  

   lapse 
  of 
  years, 
  be 
  able 
  to 
  foretell 
  with 
  a 
  good 
  degree 
  of 
  certainty 
  locust 
  

   invasions, 
  and 
  be 
  able 
  to 
  provide 
  against 
  the 
  losses 
  thus 
  incurrred. 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  frontier 
  of 
  the 
  Western 
  States, 
  in 
  Colorado, 
  or 
  in 
  the 
  Territo- 
  

   ries 
  of 
  Wyoming, 
  Montana, 
  and 
  Utah, 
  where 
  the 
  losses 
  from 
  the 
  rav- 
  

   ages 
  of 
  the 
  locust 
  cannot 
  easily 
  be 
  made 
  up 
  by 
  importations 
  from 
  con- 
  

   tiguous 
  Territories, 
  it 
  seems 
  the 
  most 
  practicable 
  mode 
  to 
  provide 
  in 
  

   years 
  of 
  {denty 
  against 
  years 
  of 
  want. 
  We 
  should 
  imitate 
  on 
  a 
  grand 
  

   scale 
  the 
  usage 
  of 
  the 
  ancient 
  Egyptians 
  under 
  Pharaoh, 
  who 
  laid 
  up 
  in 
  

   times 
  of 
  unusual 
  harvest 
  stores 
  of 
  grain 
  for 
  times 
  of 
  famine. 
  It 
  is 
  said 
  

   that 
  this 
  has 
  been 
  done 
  on 
  a 
  small 
  scale 
  by 
  the 
  Mormons. 
  If 
  this 
  were 
  

   done 
  in 
  the 
  far 
  West, 
  in 
  seasons 
  immediately 
  preceding 
  insect-years, 
  

   which 
  had 
  been 
  predicted 
  by 
  entomologists 
  in 
  conjunction 
  with 
  the 
  

   meteorologists, 
  we 
  should 
  be 
  saved 
  the 
  distress, 
  destitution, 
  and 
  even 
  

   loss 
  of 
  life 
  from 
  starvation, 
  which 
  have 
  resulted 
  from 
  ignorance 
  of 
  the 
  

   laws 
  regulating 
  the 
  appearance 
  of 
  destructive 
  insects, 
  especially 
  the 
  

   western 
  locust. 
  

  

  The 
  return 
  migration. 
  — 
  By 
  simultaneous 
  observations 
  for 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  

   years 
  over 
  the 
  region 
  liable 
  to 
  be 
  visited 
  by 
  migratory 
  hordes 
  of 
  locusts, 
  

   added 
  to 
  the 
  knowledge 
  we 
  already 
  possess, 
  it 
  will 
  not 
  only 
  be 
  i^ossible 
  

   to 
  predict 
  the 
  course 
  of 
  certain 
  swarms 
  I'rom 
  their 
  breeding-places, 
  and 
  

   their 
  probable 
  destination, 
  so 
  that 
  when 
  a 
  swarm 
  starts 
  from 
  Montana 
  

   or 
  Wyoming, 
  its 
  arrival 
  in 
  Colorado 
  a 
  week 
  or 
  a 
  fortnight 
  later 
  may 
  

  

  