^2.,&1»1 



31. Mai 1913. 



No. 11. 



XXVIII. Jahrgang. 



cietas entomoiogica. 



Organ für den internationalen Entomologen =Verein. 



Journal de la Société entomologique internationale. 



Journal of the International Entomological Society. 



„Vereinigt mit Entomologischer Rundschau und Insektenbörse." 



Gegründet i8S6 von Frilz Rühl, fortgeführt von seinen Erben unter Mitwirkung bedeutender Entomologen und herv orrag ender Fachleute. 



Toute la correspondance scientifique et 

 les contributions originales sont à envoyer 

 aux Héritiers de Mr. Fritz Rühl à Zu- 

 rich V. Pour toutes les autres communi- 

 cations, payements etc. s'adresser à Ver- 

 lag des Seitz'schen Werkes (Alfred 

 Kernen), Stuttgart, Poststr. 7. 



Aile wissenschaftlichen Mitteilungen und 

 Originalbeiträge sind an Herrn Fritz 

 Rühl's Erben in Zürich V zu richten, 

 geschäftliche Mitteilungen, Zahlungen etc. 

 dagegen direkt an den Verlag des Seitz- 

 schen Werkes (Alfred Kernen), Stutt- 

 gart, Poststr. 7. 



Any scientific correspondence and origi- 

 nal contributions to be addressed to Mr. 

 Fritz Rühl's Heirs in Zürich V. AU 

 other communications, payments etc. to be 

 sent to Verlag des Seitz'schen Werkes 

 (Alfred Kernen), Stuttgart, Poststr. 7. 



• Die Societas entomologka erscheint gemeinsam mit der Entomologischen Rundschau und der Insektenborse. 

 Abonnementspreis der 3 vereinigten Zeitschriften Mk. 1.50 vierteljährlich bei postfreier Zusendung innerhalb Deutschland und 

 Oesterreich, fürs Ausland Portozuschlag — 50 Pfennig vierteljährlich. Erfüllungsort beiderseits Stuttgart. 



57. 28 Locusta: 16. 5 



Notes Oll Plague of Locusts in North 



Queensland and its Relation to Sugar 



Cane*). 



Byo A. A. Girault, Nelson. Cairns. 



The foUo\^dng notes are fragmentary and were 

 gathered by me at odd hours. Unless otherwise stated 

 they refer to the Yellow-winged Locust {Locusta 

 danica Linnaeus). I confine myself entirely to my 

 own notes without consulting the literature. 



While residing at a field station at Nelson, North 

 Queensland in the summer of 1911 — 1912, on about 

 January 5, 1912 my attention was drawn to the 

 sudden appearance of this species at the lights about 

 the town shortly after nightfall. All of the individuals 

 were adult. In stores and hotels they were the cause 

 of considerable annoyance and I remember distinctly 

 sitting at a table in a small refreshment place drin- 

 king tea while these locusts were flying from wall to 

 wall in the room, keeping one constantly on the 

 alert less he should be struck in the face or else his 

 tea spoiled by one droj)ping into it. This appearance 

 was sudden. I had heard nothing of the insects before 

 this mght. It should be especially noted that all the 

 individuals were adult. Also that they appeared to 

 be attracted into the buildings by the lights (acetylene 

 gas and kerosene lamps). This continued for several 

 nights. 



On January 8, I left Nelson for Innisfail arriving 

 there on the tenth; two days later I noticed the 

 adults there in large numbers but could observe them 

 but casually. However, on the morning of January 13, 

 while standing on the east bank of the Johnstone 

 River at Darradgee, quite a large progressive fhght 

 of them was witnessed. At the point where I was 

 standing, the river curved from a southerly direction 



*) Contribution No. 6, Entomological Laboratory, 

 Sugar Experiment Stations, Mackay, Queensland. 



to an easterly one ; across it, opposite to my position, 

 was a sloping ridge whose summit was not more 

 than forty feet above the river ; on each side of this hill 

 the land "was practically level and full of growing sugar 

 cane. The insects were flying directly toward me 

 from the distance, that is in a northeasterly direction; 

 when they reached the opposite bank of the river, the 

 flight divided (some distance from the river bank, as 

 if instinctively), one portion of it going north along 

 the west bank of the river beside the fields of cane, 

 the other going southeast, over the summit of the 

 grassy hUl and following the west bank of the river 

 in that dhection. Still another and third, minor 

 division of the main flight continued straight on 

 over the river, having not the shghtest difficulty in 

 crossing it and aUghting in a grassy border along a cane 

 field (about fifteen feet from the edge of the river) as 

 soon as the crossing had been accomplished; some, 

 however, continued on ^^dthout alighting. This third 

 portion, which as I have intimated, was coming 

 straight toward me, comprised but a small fraction of 

 the individuals of the main fhght, yet they were in 

 sufficient numbers to allow of the arrival of an indivi- 

 dual at any point mthin range of observation, about 

 every second of time. None were observed to fall 

 into the river. The fhght of an indi\àdual was rapid and 

 direct, very much like that of a bird. The main flock 

 or fhght could not be determined visually excepting 

 as a confused haze in the near distance, low down 

 near the ground. The two branches, however, seen 

 from the side were plainly enough defined, especially 

 that along the opposite hill summit where the flight 

 was projected against the sky. Here, one was remin- 

 ded of the leaps of a school of porpoises, done in 

 miniature with a much larger number of units; or 

 of a heavy snow storm roUing over the hilltop before 

 a gale of wind. But as concerns the latter, with this 

 difference; the progressively rolling mass of locusts 

 was near the gi'ound, apparently only about two 

 feet in depth, more in places. At the point where the 



