﻿676 
  EEPORT 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  GEOLOGICAL 
  SURVEY. 
  

  

  before 
  we 
  can 
  decide 
  what 
  is 
  true 
  and 
  what 
  is 
  erroneous 
  in 
  the 
  publislied 
  

   accounts 
  of 
  the 
  western 
  locust. 
  

   The 
  following 
  points 
  need 
  to 
  be 
  especially 
  studied 
  and 
  cleared 
  up 
  : 
  

  

  1. 
  How 
  early 
  in 
  the 
  summer 
  are 
  the 
  eggs 
  laid 
  in 
  Minnesota? 
  

  

  2. 
  The 
  direction 
  of 
  flight 
  and 
  history 
  of 
  the 
  newly-fledged 
  swarms 
  in 
  

   Minnesota 
  particularly, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  in 
  Texas 
  and 
  Indian 
  Territory. 
  

  

  3. 
  Is 
  the 
  supposed 
  northwesterly 
  return-flight 
  of 
  the 
  locust 
  from 
  

   Nebraska, 
  Kansas, 
  and 
  Missouri 
  late 
  in 
  June 
  an 
  invariable 
  occurrence, 
  

   or 
  do 
  the 
  swarms 
  fly 
  in 
  other 
  directions'? 
  

  

  4. 
  What 
  is 
  the 
  tkte 
  of 
  those 
  early 
  summer 
  swarms; 
  and 
  {a) 
  do 
  they 
  

   lay 
  eggs 
  in 
  the 
  region 
  directly 
  east 
  of 
  the 
  Eocky 
  Mountains, 
  or 
  (b) 
  fly 
  

   north 
  into 
  British 
  America, 
  or 
  are 
  they 
  scattered 
  on 
  the 
  plains 
  midway 
  

   between 
  the 
  border 
  States 
  and 
  the 
  Eocky 
  Mountain 
  plateau, 
  and 
  lay 
  

   eggs 
  for 
  swarms 
  which 
  afflict 
  the 
  border 
  States 
  the 
  following 
  year 
  ; 
  or 
  

   (c) 
  do 
  they 
  fail 
  to 
  reach 
  favorable 
  breeding-places 
  and 
  lay 
  but 
  few 
  eggs? 
  

  

  5. 
  The 
  exceptions 
  to 
  the 
  northwest 
  direction 
  of 
  the 
  migrations 
  from 
  

   the 
  border 
  States 
  should 
  be 
  fully 
  stated, 
  and 
  if 
  there 
  be 
  such 
  exceptions, 
  

   the 
  causes, 
  local 
  or 
  meteorological, 
  carefully 
  inquired 
  into. 
  

  

  6. 
  Ascertain 
  in 
  Minnesota 
  the 
  length 
  of 
  time 
  between 
  the 
  acquisition 
  

   of 
  wings 
  and 
  oviposition. 
  

  

  7. 
  Make 
  experiments 
  on 
  the 
  vitality 
  of 
  the 
  eggs. 
  The 
  eggs 
  of 
  the 
  

   Europeo-Asiatic 
  locust 
  survive 
  a 
  temperature 
  of 
  — 
  26° 
  Fahr. 
  

  

  8. 
  Do 
  cold, 
  wet 
  springs 
  and 
  thawing 
  and 
  freezing 
  late 
  in 
  the 
  winter 
  

   destroy 
  the 
  eggs 
  ? 
  

  

  9. 
  Do 
  the 
  locusts 
  always 
  copulate 
  immediately 
  after 
  acquiring 
  wings 
  f 
  

  

  10. 
  Duration 
  of 
  the 
  sexual 
  act 
  — 
  (more 
  than 
  20 
  minutes?) 
  

  

  11. 
  How 
  many 
  times 
  does 
  the 
  same 
  female 
  receive 
  the 
  male? 
  

  

  12. 
  How 
  many 
  males 
  will 
  a 
  single 
  female 
  receive 
  ? 
  

  

  13. 
  How 
  many 
  females 
  will 
  a 
  single 
  male 
  impregnate? 
  

  

  14. 
  How 
  many 
  times 
  does 
  the 
  same 
  female 
  lay 
  eggs? 
  

  

  15. 
  Does 
  a 
  female 
  lay 
  more 
  than 
  one 
  packet 
  of 
  eggs 
  ? 
  

  

  16. 
  Does 
  a 
  female 
  lay 
  more 
  than 
  one 
  packet 
  of 
  eggs 
  after 
  a 
  single 
  

   impregnation 
  ? 
  

  

  17. 
  State 
  the 
  average 
  number 
  of 
  eggs 
  laid 
  in 
  a 
  packet. 
  

  

  18. 
  State 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  days 
  after 
  copulation 
  before 
  the 
  eggs 
  are 
  

   laid 
  — 
  (more 
  or 
  less 
  than 
  seven 
  days 
  ?) 
  

  

  19. 
  Does 
  Caloptenus 
  spretus 
  copulate 
  with 
  other, 
  and 
  what, 
  species 
  ; 
  

   does 
  it 
  hybridize 
  with 
  other 
  species, 
  particularly 
  /emwr-rw&rwm, 
  or 
  var. 
  

   atlanis 
  f 
  Are 
  the 
  hybrids 
  (if 
  any 
  are 
  produced) 
  fertile 
  ? 
  

  

  20. 
  State 
  observed 
  (not 
  estimated) 
  rapidity 
  of 
  movement 
  of 
  swarms 
  

   in 
  the 
  larval 
  state, 
  and 
  whether 
  they 
  migrate 
  in 
  the 
  morning 
  or 
  evening, 
  

   or 
  both 
  ? 
  

  

  21. 
  After 
  which 
  molt 
  do 
  the 
  young 
  locusts 
  begin 
  to 
  assemble 
  in 
  small 
  

   flocks 
  and 
  mass 
  with 
  larger 
  ones 
  — 
  after 
  the 
  first 
  or 
  second 
  molt 
  ? 
  

  

  22. 
  Do 
  the 
  young 
  wingless 
  locusts 
  move 
  and 
  feed 
  by 
  night 
  ? 
  

  

  23. 
  Do 
  the 
  swarms 
  of 
  winged 
  locusts 
  descend 
  toward 
  sunset, 
  and 
  at 
  

   what 
  time 
  ? 
  At 
  what 
  time 
  do 
  they 
  take 
  wing 
  in 
  the 
  morning 
  ? 
  

  

  24. 
  Make 
  careful 
  observations 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  influence 
  of 
  the 
  wind 
  on 
  their 
  

   migrations. 
  Are 
  they 
  wholly 
  dependent 
  on 
  favorable 
  winds 
  to 
  bear 
  

   them 
  on 
  in 
  the 
  course 
  they 
  usually 
  take, 
  and 
  do 
  the 
  locusts 
  wait 
  for 
  

   favorable 
  winds 
  ? 
  

  

  25. 
  Ascertain 
  western 
  limits 
  of 
  Cale])tenus 
  spretus, 
  and 
  the 
  range 
  of 
  

   its 
  var. 
  atlanis. 
  

  

  