﻿PACKARD.] 
  ENEMIES 
  AND 
  PAliASITES 
  OF 
  THE 
  LOCUST. 
  657 
  

  

  state, 
  are 
  at 
  first 
  rosy, 
  then 
  emigrate 
  southward, 
  and 
  retuiii 
  in 
  winter 
  

   of 
  their 
  mature 
  color. 
  

  

  lu 
  Spain, 
  during 
  the 
  summers 
  of 
  1875 
  and 
  1876, 
  Dectieus 
  alhifrons 
  

   (Fabr.) 
  was 
  abundant 
  and 
  injarioas,.but 
  less 
  so 
  in 
  1876 
  than 
  the 
  year 
  pre- 
  

   vious, 
  as 
  the 
  soldiers 
  assisted 
  the 
  inhabitants 
  of 
  the 
  district 
  infested 
  ia 
  

   'destroying 
  them. 
  

  

  lu 
  Chiua 
  records 
  exist 
  of 
  the 
  appearance 
  of 
  locusts 
  in 
  devastating 
  

   numbers 
  one 
  hundred 
  and 
  seventy-three 
  times 
  during 
  a 
  period 
  of 
  nine- 
  

   teen 
  hundred 
  and 
  twenty 
  four 
  years, 
  as 
  stated 
  by 
  Andreozzi,* 
  who 
  has 
  

   translated, 
  from 
  a 
  Chinese 
  work 
  on 
  agriculture, 
  notes 
  respecting 
  the 
  

   ravages 
  of 
  locusts 
  in 
  China, 
  and 
  the 
  superstitions 
  existing 
  among 
  the 
  

   Chinese 
  with 
  regard 
  to 
  their 
  origin. 
  The 
  three 
  great 
  causes 
  of 
  famine 
  

   in 
  China 
  are 
  placed 
  as 
  flood, 
  drought, 
  and 
  locusts. 
  

  

  In 
  Southern 
  Australia 
  locusts 
  of 
  an 
  unknown 
  species 
  committed 
  rav- 
  

   ages 
  in 
  1872. 
  (See 
  Proceedings 
  of 
  the 
  Entomological 
  Society 
  of 
  Lon- 
  

   don, 
  1872, 
  pp. 
  xii-xvii). 
  

  

  EXTERNAL 
  ENEMIES 
  AND 
  PARASITES 
  OE 
  THE 
  ROCKY 
  MOUNTAIN 
  LOCUST. 
  

  

  When 
  any 
  insect 
  abounds 
  to 
  an 
  unusual 
  extent, 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  found 
  that 
  

   not 
  only 
  its 
  peculiar 
  parasites 
  abound 
  in 
  a 
  corresponding 
  ratio, 
  but 
  par- 
  

   asitic 
  insects 
  which 
  prey 
  usually 
  on 
  various 
  other 
  insects 
  leave 
  their 
  

   ordinary 
  hosts 
  and 
  attack 
  the 
  new-comers. 
  Among 
  the 
  most 
  impor- 
  

   tant 
  agencies 
  which 
  diminish 
  the 
  numbers 
  of 
  locusts, 
  especially 
  in 
  the 
  

   Mississippi 
  and 
  Missouri 
  Valleys, 
  are 
  the 
  insect-parasites. 
  The 
  birds 
  

   destroy 
  many, 
  but 
  the 
  natural 
  insect-enemies 
  still 
  more. 
  The 
  black- 
  

   birds, 
  quail, 
  prairie-chickens, 
  and 
  grouse 
  were 
  said 
  to 
  destroy 
  many 
  of 
  

   the 
  eggs 
  in 
  Minnesota. 
  As 
  samples 
  of 
  the 
  accounts 
  given 
  by 
  different 
  

   writers, 
  I 
  give 
  the 
  following 
  by 
  Uriah 
  Bruner, 
  contributed 
  to 
  the 
  "Inter- 
  

   Ocean:" 
  

  

  Quails, 
  paririe-cliickeiis, 
  and 
  grouse, 
  if 
  snfficieutly 
  numerous, 
  alone 
  are 
  sufficient 
  to 
  

   pick 
  up 
  every 
  embryo 
  grasshopper 
  long 
  before 
  lie 
  can 
  have 
  wings. 
  This 
  I 
  know 
  from 
  

   actual 
  observation. 
  * 
  

  

  Seven 
  years 
  ago 
  large 
  areas 
  of 
  eggs 
  were 
  deposited 
  on 
  my 
  farm 
  near 
  Omaha, 
  I 
  then 
  

   was 
  fortunate 
  enough 
  to 
  have 
  about 
  fifty 
  quails 
  on 
  my 
  place. 
  As 
  soon 
  as 
  the 
  hoppers 
  

   were 
  hatched, 
  and 
  while 
  yet 
  almost 
  microscopic 
  in 
  size, 
  I 
  venture 
  to 
  say 
  that 
  each 
  one 
  

   of 
  the 
  quails 
  picked 
  up, 
  every 
  day, 
  enough 
  of 
  them 
  to 
  fill 
  a 
  bushel-measure 
  if 
  grown 
  

   to 
  full 
  size. 
  They 
  devoured 
  all 
  my 
  grasshoppers 
  long 
  before 
  their 
  wings 
  had 
  devel- 
  

   oped; 
  but 
  the 
  grasshoppers 
  devoured 
  no 
  one's 
  crops 
  that 
  year, 
  and 
  very 
  few 
  escaped 
  

   to 
  migrate. 
  It 
  seems, 
  however, 
  that 
  that 
  spring 
  the" 
  young 
  grasshoppers 
  were 
  de- 
  

   stroyed 
  everywhere 
  where 
  their 
  eggs 
  were 
  deposited 
  among 
  ns, 
  and 
  most 
  persons 
  will 
  

   tell 
  you 
  that 
  the 
  cold 
  spring 
  rains 
  killed 
  them 
  ofi". 
  This 
  is 
  possible, 
  where 
  the 
  rains 
  

   were 
  heavy 
  enough 
  to 
  carry 
  them 
  off 
  and 
  drown 
  them. 
  But 
  at 
  that 
  time 
  quails, 
  prai- 
  

   rie-chickeus, 
  and 
  grouse 
  were 
  plenty 
  everywhere, 
  and 
  I 
  suspect 
  that 
  rain-storms 
  got 
  

   credit 
  for 
  what 
  the 
  birds 
  did. 
  

  

  Within 
  the 
  last 
  six 
  years 
  we 
  have 
  had 
  sporting-clubs 
  in 
  all 
  our 
  cities, 
  towns, 
  and 
  vil- 
  

   lages, 
  aud 
  very 
  few 
  birds 
  survive 
  the 
  skill 
  of 
  the 
  sportsman. 
  Should 
  any 
  be 
  fortunate 
  

   enough 
  to 
  escape 
  the 
  sportsman, 
  farmers' 
  boys 
  will 
  trap 
  and 
  snare 
  what 
  are 
  left 
  duriug 
  

   the 
  winter 
  aud 
  send 
  them 
  oft 
  to 
  market. 
  Was 
  it 
  not 
  last 
  winter 
  that 
  the 
  report 
  came 
  

   back 
  from 
  Chicago, 
  Saint 
  Louis, 
  New 
  York, 
  and 
  other 
  large 
  cities 
  that 
  the 
  market 
  

   was 
  glutted 
  with 
  quails, 
  prairie-chickens, 
  and 
  grouse 
  ? 
  

  

  If 
  my 
  position 
  is 
  correct, 
  is 
  there 
  any 
  wonder 
  that 
  the 
  grasshoppers 
  that 
  hatched 
  in 
  

   Missouri, 
  Kansas, 
  and 
  Minr\esota 
  last 
  spring 
  have 
  done 
  so 
  much 
  damage 
  before 
  and 
  

   after 
  their 
  migration? 
  The 
  wonder 
  is 
  that 
  they 
  did 
  not 
  more 
  damage. 
  If 
  God 
  in 
  

   his 
  mercy 
  had 
  not 
  sent 
  deluging 
  rains 
  throughout 
  Missouri 
  and 
  Kansas, 
  that 
  swept 
  

   most 
  of 
  them 
  down 
  the 
  waters 
  of 
  the 
  Missouri, 
  and 
  if 
  in 
  Minnesota 
  liercnlean 
  efforts 
  

   had 
  not 
  been 
  put 
  forth 
  to 
  destroy 
  them 
  in 
  their 
  pupa 
  state, 
  the 
  great 
  Northwest 
  might 
  

   not 
  to-day 
  rejoice 
  in 
  the 
  great 
  harvest 
  that 
  is 
  now 
  ready 
  to 
  take 
  in. 
  

  

  There 
  can 
  be 
  no 
  excuse 
  for 
  us 
  to 
  be 
  eaten 
  out 
  by 
  the 
  grasshoppers, 
  when 
  hatched 
  

   out 
  among 
  the 
  settled 
  parts 
  of 
  our 
  country; 
  and 
  if 
  we 
  don't 
  destroy 
  them 
  in 
  their 
  

  

  * 
  An 
  extract 
  from 
  this 
  translation 
  is 
  given 
  by 
  StefanelliintheBuUetinoEntomologia 
  

   Societa 
  Italiano, 
  1870, 
  pp. 
  70-8-2.— 
  (Zool. 
  Kecord 
  for 
  1870). 
  

  

  42 
  GS 
  

  

  