20 THE REPORT OF THE No. 36 



of our time to control measures rather than to life studies, but no one oould 

 cover the infested areas, as we have done, without observing the insects' habits. 

 Nor could they fail to take note of the various factors which must eventually 

 bring the pest under control. It is true that such observations were often casual 

 at first and frequently quite fragmentary, but, by degrees, they have been marshalled 

 into definite order so that the accumulation provides many of the facts we were 

 in search of. 



One of the most important features of the present locust outbreak has been 

 the complications due to the presence of two genera which have, in some respects, 

 very dissimilar habits. There have also been a number of species involved 

 which differ somewhat in their general habits, though with the one exception 

 these all belong to the genus Melanoplus. 



The chief offenders during the present outbreak have been the Lesser Migratory 

 Locust, Melanoplus atlanis, and the Road-side locust, Camnula pellucida. The 

 habits of the first are too well known to make it necessary for me to go into 

 details. I will merely state, therefore, that it prefers the stubble fields or old 

 deserted farms for egg laying and that it deposits its eggs around vegetation 

 rather than in the midst of it. The Road-side locust, on the other hand, avoids 

 the stubble fields and similar areas, selecting instead land that is under grass, 

 with a special preference for the unbroken lands along road-sides. Hence the 

 name Road-side locust instead of the inappropriate one of Pellucid locust. Inci- 

 dently I might point out that the wings of Camnula are not truly pellucid, but aire 

 yellowish, secondly all species of Melanoplus are clear-winged, consequently the 

 name "pellucid" is not at all a happy one. In addition to its habit of selecting 

 sod land for egg laying purposes the Road-side locust differs from the Lesser 

 Migratory locust in that it deposits its eggs amid the clumps of grass instead of 

 around or between them. 



The marked difference in egg laying habits was detected at the commence- 

 ment of the outbreak even before we were sure of the species involved. Later 

 we found that the Road-side locust was even more particular in its selection of 

 egg-laying sites than we supposed. Not only grass lands were required but a 

 particular species of grass. True there are exceptions to this habit but, so far 

 as we could learn, the only marked exceptions occurred when the favorite breeding 

 grounds were absent while somewhat similar ones were present in their stead. 



The areas chosen by the Road-iside locust for egg laying are generally on 

 uplands having a dryish aspect. Their chief attraction, however lies in the 

 presence of Western Couch grass, Agropyron smitliii. This grass has many of 

 the habits of its eastern ally, but is distinguished by a very marked bluish tinge 

 to the leaves. It is a common grass in the west and grows in large dense patches. 

 It is amid this grass that the Road-side locusts congregate towards the middle of 

 July, flying from the fields that they have previously infested. They soon attain 

 very large numbers so that an area of a few square yards may contain thousands. 

 Breeding is now the chief object in life, and egg-laying is continuous whenevet 

 the weather is suitable. The appearance of the breeding areas at this time is 

 a remarkable one. Individuals of both sexes are constantly in motion while the 

 least alarm sends them off into the air. Scattered over the practically bare ground, 

 for they have eaten it clean, are numerous small heaps of the insects which 

 close inspection shows to be made up of ovipositing females with eight or ten 

 males clinging around each. 



