UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



BULLETIN No. 293 



Contribution from the Bureau of Entomology 

 L. O. HOWARD, Chief 



Washington, D. C. 



PROFESSIONAL PAPER 



October 7, 1915 



THE GRASSHOPPER OUTBREAK IN NEW MEXICO DURING 

 THE SUMMER OF 1913. 1 



By Harbison E. Smith, 

 Entomological Assistant, Cereal and Forage Insect Investigations. 



INTRODUCTION. 



Of the several important grasshopper outbreaks in the United 

 States during the summer of 1913 that of the so-called long- winged 



Fig. 1. — Long-winged grasshopper (Dissosteira longipennis) : Adult 

 female. About one-third enlarged. (Original.) 



grasshopper (fig. 1) in the Pecos Valley of New Mexico proved one 

 of the most interesting. Though more or less important outbreaks 

 of this grasshopper have been reported heretofore, very little actual 

 data pertaining to this species appears to have been assembled. 



The writer, under the direction of F. M. Webster, in charge of 

 cereal and forage insect investigations of the Bureau of Entomology, 

 spent the month of June, 1913, in the field investigating this rather 

 unusual invasion. 



The data are of necessity in certain phases somewhat incomplete 

 since the investigations were carried on entirely under field condi- 

 tions, although a very considerable amount of information relative 

 to this species was obtained and is herein presented. 



1 The grasshopper discussed in this paper is scientifically known as Dissosteira longi- 

 pennis Thomas ; synonym, Oedipoda nebracensis Brunei - . 

 4070°— 15 



