22 REPORT UNITED STATES ENTOMOLOGICAL COMMISSION. 



1 



companied by Mr. Whitman, visited various parts of Northern Iowa in 

 order to gather specimens of those which had dropped from flying 

 swarms, and to ascertain exactly the eastern limit of their extension in 

 this latitude. 



In addition to these visits, Mr. Whitman traveled extensively over 

 the counties ra vaged by the locusts in Minnesota, and Professor Aughey 

 over those of Nebraska. 



Mr. Eiley started, after the Chicago meeting, for Manitoba, remaining 

 a few days on the way in Minnesota to ascertain the extreme eastern 

 limit of flight in Hennepin and Eamsey Counties. Most of the month 

 of August and part of September were spent in Manitoba, where he . 

 was fortunate in meeting the Hon. M. P. Mills, minister of the interior, 

 and the Hon. Mr. C. A. P. Pelletier, minister of agriculture, of Canada, 

 both of whom are strongly in sympathy with the work of the Com- 

 mission. Indeed, Mr. Pelletier had our first circular reprinted and sent 

 out by the Dominion council. While at Winnepeg he was under many ob- 

 ligations to Bishop Tache, Governor A. Morris, many Hudson Bay fact- 

 ors, and other officers, but especially to Mr. J. W. Taylor, United States 

 consul, whose uniform kindness and whose extensive knowledge of the 

 Saskatchewan country materially helped to make his stay pleasant and 

 profitable. This trip gave us much definite information regarding the 

 destination of the early summer flights, and regarding the northern 

 and eastern limits of the species^ spread and of its permanent breeding- 

 grounds north of our boundary-line. These permanent breeding-grounds 

 turn out to be much, more clearly defined than we had reason to hope, 

 and they are, in a broad way, coequal with the limit of what is known as 

 the third prairie plateau or steppe, an immense plains region drained 

 by the South Saskatchewan and the Red Deer River. We were also able 

 to obtain evidence of great locust abundance in this country as far back 

 as the very beginning of the present century. (See Chapter 1.) 



A fourth meeting of the Commission was held in Chicago, October 1-2, 

 for the further transaction of business and to complete the division of 

 labor on the report. During this month Mr. Riley made a trip to Kan- 

 sas, as far as Manhattan, with a view of ascertaining whether any of 

 the insects that had hatched in the spring had remained in that section 

 of the country (App. 14) ; while in November he made a brief trip 

 as far as Dallas, Tex., for the same purpose and to get facts as to 

 autumn flights. 



The fifth meeting of the Commission was a protracted one, held in 

 Washington during the latter part of January and early part of Feb- 

 ruary, 1873, for the purpose of comparing and digesting the work done 

 on the report and preparing the same for the printer. By comparing 

 and interchanging notes the report has been made as much as possible 

 a' whole, and opinions expressed or conclusions drawn are those of the 

 entire Commission, unless dissent therefrom by any one member be ex- 

 pressed in a note. The chapters have been severally prepared as fol- 

 lows : 



