ORTHOPTERA OF NOVA SCOTIA. — PIERS. 295 



cold weather if not frost. An examination of very large 

 numbers of the locusts sent me in November, 1895, proved 

 that M. atlanis was the sole species represented on the island 

 and the specimens were mostly females. 



In a letter dated 28 May, 1896, the superintendent of 

 the island informed me that "the locusts are with us again, 

 but are a month later than last year (1895). The season, 

 however, is that much later, ver}^ cold and backward, and 

 vegetation greatly retarded. The young have appeared as 

 yet only at the east end of the island, whereas they were much 

 more plentiful at the west end last year." On 11 June, 

 1896, the young locusts appeared in millions, following a 

 warm spell of weather, and the prospect seemed very bad 

 as no method had been adopted to keep them in check. 

 Most providentially, however, the year 1896 turned out to be 

 as excessively wet as 1894 had been excessively dry, and the 

 mild weather was succeeded by a fortnight of cold rains 

 which destroyed the young insects, and the}^ thus disappeared 

 even more suddenlv than they had appeared in 1891. Since 

 1896 no locusts have been seen on the island, much to the 

 relief of the authorities in charge of the establishment there, 

 among whom the plague had naturally created great con- 

 sternation. Such an inroad, however, is quite liable to re- 

 occur under similar conditions, and possibly the deus ex 

 machina, in the guise of bad weather, may not then providen- 

 tially interpose to end the menace before irretrievable damage 

 is done. 



I am aware of no such plague on the mainland of Nova 

 Scotia, but there is no reason why a similar one should not 

 occur here at any time, under the necessary favourable 

 conditions, although the natural enemies of such insects 

 are more likely to be met with on the mainland than on 

 an isolated spot such as Sable Island where locusts; had not 

 previously been reported. Belcher's reference to the destruc- 

 tion of crops by locusts in 1762, which has been mentioned, 



