﻿692 
  EEPORT 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  GEOLOGICAL 
  SURVEY. 
  

  

  the 
  gulls 
  were 
  seen 
  feeding 
  on 
  this 
  insect 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  winged 
  grasshop- 
  

   pers. 
  Mr. 
  Henry 
  Edwards, 
  under 
  date 
  of 
  December 
  25, 
  1875, 
  writes 
  me 
  

   as 
  follows 
  regarding 
  the 
  cricket 
  : 
  " 
  I 
  send 
  you 
  two 
  specimens 
  of 
  the 
  large 
  

   brown 
  cricket 
  from 
  Idaho. 
  I 
  think 
  it 
  is 
  Anabrus 
  simplex 
  of 
  Haldeman. 
  

   It 
  is 
  extremely 
  destructive 
  to 
  the 
  crops 
  of 
  wheat 
  and 
  other 
  cereals 
  from 
  

   Oregon 
  to 
  Wyoming 
  Territory, 
  and 
  eastward 
  to 
  Montana, 
  Idaho, 
  and 
  

   Utah. 
  I 
  do 
  not 
  think 
  it 
  has 
  ever 
  been 
  found 
  in 
  California. 
  When 
  I 
  

   was 
  in 
  Oregon 
  two 
  years 
  ago, 
  I 
  made 
  some 
  few 
  notes 
  about 
  this 
  pest, 
  

   and, 
  if 
  I 
  can 
  find 
  them, 
  will 
  willingly 
  place 
  them 
  at 
  your 
  disposal." 
  

   Maj. 
  J. 
  W. 
  Powell 
  tells 
  me 
  that 
  the 
  cricket 
  is 
  annoying 
  in 
  Arizona. 
  

  

  I 
  extract 
  the 
  following 
  remarks 
  on 
  the 
  geographical 
  range 
  and 
  habits 
  

   of 
  the 
  species 
  of 
  Anabrus 
  from 
  Professor 
  Thomas's 
  report 
  in 
  Hayden's 
  

   Keport 
  on 
  the 
  Geology 
  of 
  Montana 
  for 
  1871 
  : 
  

  

  Anabrus 
  purpurascens 
  is 
  found, 
  not 
  abuuclautly, 
  but 
  at 
  certain 
  elevated 
  points 
  from 
  

   Nortliern 
  New 
  Mexico 
  to 
  Montana, 
  along 
  the 
  east 
  base 
  of 
  tlae 
  mountains, 
  but 
  I 
  have 
  

   met 
  with 
  no 
  specimen 
  west 
  of 
  the 
  range 
  in 
  the 
  middle 
  district, 
  though 
  Mr. 
  Uhler 
  gives 
  

   Washington 
  Territory 
  as 
  a 
  locality 
  on 
  the 
  authority 
  of 
  Dr. 
  Suckley. 
  It 
  is 
  also 
  found 
  

   as 
  far 
  south 
  as 
  Texas, 
  and 
  as 
  far 
  north 
  as 
  Red 
  River, 
  in 
  Northern 
  Minnesota. 
  A. 
  simplex 
  

   appears 
  to 
  be 
  confined 
  to 
  the 
  middle 
  district, 
  as 
  I 
  have 
  not 
  met 
  either 
  in 
  the 
  eastern 
  or 
  

   western 
  districts. 
  Dr. 
  Scudder, 
  who 
  examined 
  the 
  Orthoptera, 
  collected 
  by 
  Professor 
  

   Hayden, 
  in 
  Nebraska, 
  does 
  not 
  mention 
  it 
  in 
  his 
  list 
  ; 
  nor 
  did 
  Mr. 
  C. 
  E. 
  Dodge 
  have 
  it 
  

   among 
  his 
  collections 
  made 
  in 
  Nebraska, 
  Colorado, 
  Kansas, 
  and 
  Indian 
  Territory; 
  nor 
  

   is 
  it 
  among 
  tbe 
  collections 
  in 
  the 
  Agricultural 
  Department, 
  made 
  east 
  of 
  the 
  Eocky 
  

   Mountains. 
  Hence 
  I 
  think 
  we 
  may 
  safely 
  conclude 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  confined 
  to 
  the 
  west 
  side 
  ot 
  

   the 
  range. 
  But 
  what 
  it 
  lacks 
  in 
  range 
  is 
  made 
  up 
  in 
  numbers, 
  for 
  in 
  the 
  northern 
  part 
  

   of 
  Salt 
  Lake 
  Basin 
  and 
  southern 
  part 
  of 
  Idaho, 
  the 
  only 
  points 
  where 
  I 
  have 
  met 
  with 
  

   it, 
  it 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  seen 
  in 
  armies 
  of 
  myriads, 
  (p. 
  431.) 
  Found 
  in 
  great 
  abundance 
  between. 
  

   Brigham 
  City, 
  Utah, 
  and 
  Fort 
  Hall, 
  Idaho 
  ; 
  also, 
  occasionally 
  met 
  with 
  farther 
  south, 
  

   in 
  Utah, 
  and 
  north 
  of 
  Fort 
  Hall, 
  to 
  the 
  boundary-line 
  of 
  Montana, 
  which 
  is 
  here 
  along 
  

   the 
  range 
  separating 
  the 
  waters 
  of 
  the 
  Atlantic 
  from 
  the 
  Pacific. 
  At 
  some 
  points 
  we 
  

   found 
  them 
  so 
  abundant 
  as 
  literally 
  to 
  cover 
  the 
  ground. 
  In 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  instances 
  

   they 
  all 
  appeared 
  to 
  be 
  moving 
  in 
  one 
  direction, 
  as 
  if 
  impelled 
  by 
  some 
  common 
  motive. 
  

   I 
  recollect 
  one 
  instance, 
  on 
  Port 
  Neuf 
  River, 
  where 
  an 
  army 
  was 
  crossing 
  the 
  road. 
  It 
  

   was 
  probably 
  as 
  much 
  as 
  200 
  yards 
  in 
  width. 
  I 
  could 
  form 
  no 
  idea 
  as 
  to 
  its 
  length. 
  

   I 
  only 
  know 
  that 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  I 
  could 
  distinguish 
  objects 
  of 
  this 
  size 
  (being 
  horseback) 
  

   I 
  could 
  see 
  them 
  marching 
  on. 
  I 
  think 
  that 
  in 
  all 
  the 
  cases 
  where 
  I 
  saw 
  them 
  thus 
  

   moving, 
  it 
  was 
  toward 
  a 
  stream 
  of 
  water. 
  They 
  appear 
  to 
  be 
  very 
  fond 
  of 
  gathering 
  

   along 
  the 
  banks 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  streams. 
  In 
  the 
  north 
  part 
  of 
  Cache 
  Valley 
  

   I 
  frequently 
  noticed 
  the 
  ditches 
  and 
  little 
  streams 
  covered 
  with 
  these 
  insects, 
  which, 
  

   having 
  fallen 
  in, 
  were 
  floating 
  down 
  on 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  water, 
  and, 
  though 
  watch- 
  

   ing 
  them 
  for 
  hours, 
  they 
  would 
  flow 
  on 
  in 
  an 
  undiminished 
  stream. 
  

  

  While 
  encamped 
  on 
  a 
  litte 
  creek 
  near 
  Franklin, 
  in 
  this 
  valley, 
  it 
  was 
  with 
  difficulty 
  

   we 
  could 
  keep 
  tbem 
  out 
  of 
  our 
  bedding; 
  and 
  when 
  we 
  went 
  to 
  breakfast, 
  we 
  found 
  

   the 
  under 
  side 
  and 
  legs 
  of 
  the 
  table 
  and 
  stools 
  covered 
  with 
  them, 
  all 
  the 
  vigilance 
  of 
  

   the 
  cook 
  being 
  required 
  to 
  keep 
  them 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  victuals. 
  

  

  But 
  the 
  strangest 
  part 
  of 
  its 
  history 
  is 
  that 
  it 
  will 
  go 
  in 
  pursuit 
  of 
  and 
  catch 
  and 
  

   eat 
  the 
  Cicada. 
  This 
  latter 
  insect 
  also 
  made 
  its 
  appearance 
  in 
  this 
  valley 
  the 
  past 
  sea- 
  

   son 
  in 
  immense 
  numbers, 
  covering 
  the 
  grass 
  and 
  sage 
  and 
  other 
  bushes, 
  especially 
  

   those 
  which 
  formed 
  a 
  fringe 
  along 
  the 
  little 
  streams. 
  Up 
  these 
  the 
  Anahrus 
  would 
  cau- 
  

   tiously 
  climb, 
  reach 
  out 
  with 
  its 
  fore 
  leg 
  and 
  plant 
  its 
  claw 
  in 
  its 
  victim's 
  wing 
  ; 
  once 
  

   the 
  fatal 
  claw 
  secured 
  a 
  hold, 
  the 
  Cicada 
  was 
  doomed, 
  for 
  without 
  ceremony 
  it 
  was 
  at 
  

   once 
  sacrificed 
  to 
  the 
  voracious 
  appetite 
  of 
  its 
  captor. 
  No 
  uniformity 
  appeared 
  to 
  be 
  

   preserved 
  in 
  this 
  process 
  ; 
  sometimes 
  they 
  would 
  commence 
  with 
  the 
  thorax, 
  at 
  others 
  

   with 
  the 
  head, 
  not 
  even 
  taking 
  the 
  trouble 
  to 
  remove 
  the 
  legs 
  and 
  wings. 
  

  

  I 
  noticed 
  in 
  the 
  road, 
  where 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  armies 
  was 
  crossing, 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  large 
  hawks 
  

   feasting 
  themselves 
  upon 
  the 
  helpless 
  victims. 
  As 
  I 
  returned 
  through 
  Malade 
  Valley 
  

   (August 
  20, 
  1871,) 
  the 
  females 
  were 
  depositing 
  their 
  eggs. 
  They 
  press 
  the 
  ovipositor 
  

   perpendicularly 
  into 
  the 
  ground 
  almost 
  its 
  entire 
  length. 
  

  

  The 
  following 
  notes 
  on 
  Anabrus 
  sim2}lex 
  have 
  been 
  obligingly 
  prepared 
  

   for 
  this 
  report 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Henry 
  Edwards, 
  of 
  San 
  Francisco 
  : 
  

  

  I 
  know 
  little 
  of 
  this 
  species 
  from 
  my 
  own 
  personal 
  observation. 
  It 
  was 
  extremely 
  

   abundant 
  during 
  a 
  visit 
  to 
  Oregon 
  some 
  four 
  years 
  ago. 
  I 
  extract 
  the 
  following 
  from 
  

   my 
  note-book 
  : 
  " 
  The 
  large 
  brown 
  cricket 
  {Anabrus 
  simplex) 
  is 
  a 
  great 
  trouble 
  to 
  the 
  

   farmers 
  of 
  this'region, 
  (the 
  Dalles,) 
  and 
  this 
  year 
  has 
  been 
  unusually 
  common. 
  It 
  ap- 
  

   pears 
  that 
  they 
  march 
  to 
  attack 
  the 
  corn 
  fields 
  in 
  columns, 
  and 
  the 
  only 
  way 
  left 
  to 
  the 
  

  

  