﻿646 
  REPORT 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  GEOLOGICAL 
  SURVEY. 
  

  

  Let 
  US 
  tberefore 
  grant 
  this 
  setting 
  in 
  of 
  southerly 
  and 
  easterly 
  winds, 
  

   ■which 
  may 
  last 
  until 
  the 
  locusts 
  are 
  winged. 
  When 
  they 
  rise 
  on 
  the 
  

   wing 
  into 
  the 
  air 
  the^^ 
  are 
  known 
  to 
  move 
  in 
  a 
  general 
  northwest 
  direc- 
  

   tion. 
  It 
  is 
  highly 
  probable 
  that 
  they 
  are 
  borne 
  along 
  by 
  these 
  gener- 
  

   ally 
  southeasterly 
  winds, 
  and 
  pass 
  over 
  on 
  to 
  the 
  plains. 
  The 
  cause 
  is 
  

   seen, 
  then, 
  to 
  be 
  entirely 
  independent 
  of 
  subsistence 
  ; 
  possibly 
  the 
  re- 
  

   productive 
  instinct 
  causes 
  them 
  to 
  become 
  uneasy, 
  restless, 
  to 
  assemble 
  

   high 
  in 
  the 
  air 
  and 
  seek 
  the 
  dry, 
  hot, 
  elevated 
  plateau 
  of 
  the 
  northwest. 
  

   Should 
  this 
  be 
  so, 
  the 
  cause 
  of 
  their 
  migrations 
  improbably 
  purely 
  me- 
  

   chanical. 
  Abundant 
  testimony 
  is 
  at 
  hand 
  to 
  show 
  that 
  they 
  are 
  wholly 
  

   at 
  the 
  mercy 
  of 
  the 
  prevailing 
  winds, 
  and 
  that 
  as 
  a 
  rule 
  the 
  course 
  of 
  their 
  

   migrations 
  is 
  quite 
  dependent 
  on 
  the 
  direction 
  of 
  the 
  winds, 
  while 
  the 
  

   course 
  of 
  the 
  winds 
  depends 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  on 
  the 
  season 
  of 
  the 
  year. 
  We 
  

   may 
  expect 
  that 
  future 
  research 
  over 
  sufiflcient 
  territory 
  will 
  show 
  that 
  

   the 
  June 
  migrations, 
  from 
  the 
  eastern 
  limits 
  of 
  the 
  locust 
  area, 
  will 
  be 
  

   toward 
  the 
  northwest, 
  and 
  the 
  July, 
  August, 
  and 
  early 
  September 
  mi- 
  

   grations, 
  from 
  the 
  Rocky 
  Mountain 
  plateau, 
  will 
  be 
  in 
  a 
  general 
  easterly 
  

   and 
  southeasterly 
  direction. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  not 
  only 
  of 
  great 
  scientific 
  interest, 
  but 
  of 
  high 
  practical 
  impor- 
  

   tance, 
  to 
  collect 
  all 
  facts 
  bearing 
  on 
  the 
  return 
  migrations, 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  

   know 
  where 
  the 
  locusts 
  go 
  in 
  their 
  return 
  migrations 
  the 
  second 
  year, 
  

   as 
  we 
  only 
  know 
  that 
  they 
  do 
  fly 
  a 
  certain 
  distance 
  northwestward. 
  We 
  

   want 
  to 
  ascertain 
  the 
  extreme 
  western 
  limits 
  of 
  this 
  return 
  migration. 
  

   We 
  also 
  want 
  to 
  learn 
  whether 
  they 
  return 
  to 
  their 
  original 
  breeding- 
  

   places 
  on 
  the 
  eastern 
  slopes 
  of 
  the 
  Rocky 
  Mountains, 
  or 
  whether 
  the 
  

   westerly 
  winds, 
  if 
  they 
  are 
  westerly, 
  drive 
  them 
  back 
  and 
  scatter 
  them, 
  

   so 
  that 
  they 
  do 
  not 
  breed 
  extensively. 
  

  

  It 
  will 
  be 
  seen 
  by 
  the 
  reader 
  that 
  all 
  grounds 
  for 
  a 
  reliable 
  working 
  

   theory 
  of 
  locust 
  migrations 
  are 
  based 
  on 
  the 
  work 
  of 
  our 
  Signal 
  Bureau 
  

   and 
  local 
  observers, 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  observations 
  of 
  the 
  meteorologists 
  

   and 
  entomologists 
  must 
  go 
  hand 
  in 
  hand. 
  The 
  Government 
  has 
  pro- 
  

   vided 
  a 
  well 
  organized 
  corps 
  of 
  meteorological 
  observers, 
  and 
  we 
  sub- 
  

   mit 
  that 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  competent 
  entomologists 
  should 
  take 
  the 
  field, 
  un- 
  

   der 
  Government 
  auspices. 
  IsTot 
  only 
  should 
  the 
  border 
  States, 
  especially 
  

   Texas, 
  Kansas, 
  Nebraska, 
  Minnesota, 
  and 
  Iowa, 
  employ 
  competent 
  en- 
  

   tomologists, 
  following 
  the 
  liberal 
  policy 
  of 
  Missouri, 
  which 
  for 
  eight 
  

   years 
  has 
  had 
  a 
  State 
  entomologist, 
  whose 
  reports 
  have 
  proved 
  of 
  in- 
  

   calculable 
  practical 
  value, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  of 
  great 
  scientific 
  interest, 
  but 
  the 
  

   habits 
  of 
  the 
  locust 
  need 
  first 
  of 
  all 
  to 
  be 
  thoroughly 
  studied 
  in 
  the 
  Ter- 
  

   ritories, 
  particularly 
  those 
  of 
  Wyoming, 
  Montana, 
  Idaho, 
  Dakota, 
  Utah, 
  

   New 
  Mexico, 
  Arizona, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  State 
  of 
  Colorado. 
  A 
  commission 
  of 
  

   entomologists 
  should 
  be 
  appointed 
  to 
  make 
  a 
  thorough 
  detailed 
  study 
  

   for 
  several 
  successive 
  seasons 
  of 
  the 
  habits 
  of 
  the 
  locusts 
  in 
  the 
  Terri- 
  

   tories 
  mentioned. 
  It 
  would 
  seem 
  that 
  the 
  recommendations 
  made 
  at 
  the 
  

   recent 
  meeting 
  of 
  western 
  governors 
  at 
  Omaha, 
  that 
  an 
  appropriation 
  

   be 
  made 
  by 
  Congress, 
  and 
  a 
  commission 
  be 
  attached 
  to 
  the 
  existing 
  

   United 
  States 
  Geological 
  and 
  Geographical 
  Survey 
  of 
  the 
  Territories, 
  

   is 
  the 
  most 
  feasible 
  and 
  economical 
  method 
  of 
  securing 
  the 
  speediest 
  

   and 
  best 
  results. 
  

  

  Let 
  us 
  for 
  a 
  moment 
  look 
  at 
  the 
  losses 
  sustained 
  in 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  

   from 
  the 
  attacks 
  of 
  insects. 
  The 
  annual 
  agricultural 
  products 
  of 
  this 
  

   country 
  by 
  the 
  last 
  census 
  amounted 
  in 
  value 
  to 
  $2,500,000,000. 
  Of 
  

   this 
  amount 
  we 
  in 
  all 
  probability 
  annually 
  lose 
  over 
  $200,000,000 
  from 
  

   the 
  attacks 
  of 
  injurious 
  insects 
  alone. 
  Dr. 
  Riley 
  avers 
  that 
  the 
  losses 
  

   during 
  1874 
  in 
  Missouri 
  fVom 
  locusts, 
  and 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  remembered 
  that 
  

   only 
  the 
  western 
  third 
  was 
  invaded, 
  exceeded 
  $15,000,000. 
  This 
  

  

  