§2 



THE AMEUIOAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 



June 17, 1869, I met with tliem at St. Joseph, 

 Mo., in the perfect state, where thej^ were siif- 

 ficieutly numerous, even in the city, to darken 

 the walls of the hotel at which we stopped. We 

 arrived very early in the morning, and then 

 they appeared to be somewhat torpid ; yet when 

 those in the grass were disturbed by the hogs, 

 which were feeding upon them, they hopped 

 about quite briskly. Swarms of them, as I was 

 informed, had been flying over that section for 

 a week previous to our arrival. Here, as at 

 most points were I found them, I gathered spe- 

 cimens. Considerable rain, as you remember, 

 had fallen during the previous month, the sea- 

 son being unusually wet. 



I saw none at Omaha next day, but as 

 I had no time to look for them, I cannot 

 state positively as to their presence at this 

 point. 



At Cheyenne (June 20-29) I saw the larvae 

 and pupoe in considerable numbers, but after 

 search of sevei'al days succeeded in finding two 

 or three in a perfect state. 



At Laporte, on Cache-a-la-Pondre (July 1-2), 

 I saw very few, although I searched carefully 

 both the bottoms and ridges. Yet next day, 

 on Big Thompson creek (twenty miles sout! ), 

 I found them somewhat numerous, in the per- 

 fect state, apparently fresh from the last moult- 

 ing. From this point to Clear Creek but few 

 were observed. At the latter point (July 7-14), 

 they were in moderate numbers, undergoing 

 their last moulting. The early oats here had 

 suffered from the attacks of grasshoppers, but I 

 am satisfied this could not be attributed wholly 

 to any one species, as several were about equally 

 numerous. 



From Denver we moved westward into the 

 mountains (July 15-27), where I found the 

 narrow valleys and canons — after ve had passed 

 the first range — swarming with them in the 

 perfect state. Often, when the wind blew 

 moderately, they filled the air, looking like 

 large flakes of snow. I traced them not only 

 along the canons as far west as Berthoud Pass, 

 but U13 the mountain rim of Middle Park to its 

 crest, above the perennial snows that fringed its 

 summit. Here, too, I found them quite active 

 on the sunny and windward side of the crest 

 where it was bare. And strange as it may 

 appear, on the top of one of the highest peaks 

 in the vicinity of the Pass I saw a pupa quite 

 active. Also on the surface of the snow I pro- 

 cured specimens of the perfect insect alive, 

 though benumbed Avith cold. 1 was informed 

 by a gentleman who crossed the range a little 

 farther south a few days previously, that as he 



was coming over, he saw a bear and cub on the 

 snow eating grasshoppers. 



During our journey southward from Denver 

 to Santa Fe (Aug. 6 — Sept. 7) , I observed this 

 species in limited numbers at various points 

 along our route, which was near the base of the 

 mountain, but not in greater abundance than 

 other species. There were also sections of con- 

 siderable extent where none were seen, other 

 species replacing them. For example, on the 

 plains bordering the Arkansas, the unwieldy 

 Brachypeplus magnus, Girard,* was often the 

 most abundant species. 



On the more elevated plateaus, or mesas, other 

 smaller and more active species were found most 

 numerous. 



One or two large areas of dry parched land 

 I found almost entirely free from grasshoppers. 



I noticed that where Artemisia or Obione 

 chiefl}'' covered the ground, as is often the case, 

 the Hateful Grasshopper war seldom seen. But 

 in such spots, from Canon City south, another 

 small green species is found iu abundance. 



Returning north from Santa Fe by way of 

 Taos and through St. Luis valley and South 

 Park (Sept. 14-30), I saw occasional individuals 

 throughout the whole distance, yet at no point 

 was this species (C. spretus) numerous. 



Perhaps I ought to remark in this connection, 

 that the OecKpoda corallipes, Hald., was found 

 at a few points, viz., in moderate numbers about 

 Cheyenne; a few on the "Divide" betv?een the 

 South Platte and Arkansas; and on each side 

 of the Raton Mountains. 



The statements received from citizens along 

 our route in regard to the habits and liistory of 

 the "Hateful Grasshopper " were so indefinite 

 that but little knowledge was gained thereby. 

 These statements were doubtless correct and 

 and honestly made, but failing to distinguish 

 sharply between species, and as to dates, etc., 

 were of so general a character that they added 

 but little to what was already known. The 

 articles of Messrs. Byers and Devinny in the 

 Entomologist of January, 1869, contain the 

 substance of all I thus received. 



I am not acquainted with Mr. Devinny, but 

 Mr. Byers, the able Senior of the Colorado 

 Neivs, and one of the proprietors of the 

 noted Hot Springs of Middle Park, is undoubt- 

 edly well posted in regard to the history and 

 habits of this insect in that section. Yet while 



*The green variety or species (B. virescens, Charp.) and 

 tlie redaish-lirowu (B. magnus) were fonnd together. I say 

 "variety," because 1 am iiicliuecl to thlnlc they belong to 

 the 3ame species . I doubt vei'y much whether any ditl'erence 

 will befonud between the alcoholic specimens. It is pos- 

 sible that the Mexican insect of Charpentier differs from this 

 green variety. 



