FUTURE PROSPECTS. 29 



are by no means confined to the country west of the Mississippi, but 

 may occur and have occurred in other parts of the country, at times in 

 great intensity. It is also shown that no quarter of the globe is exempt- 

 from these pests, and that the countries bordering mountain-ranges in 

 Southern Europe, Asia, and Africa, especially, have, since biblical 

 times, and, doubtless, ages before, been devastated at irregular periods 

 by devouring locust hordes. 



We cannot well close this introduction without some statement of our 

 views as to the locust-prospects for the immediate future, since our opin- 

 ions are constantly being asked for. That the insect will, in the future, 

 again pour down at times from its breeding-grounds into the temporary 

 region, unless, by the co-operation of the two governments interested, it 

 »is prevented from so doing by the course we recommend, or by some 

 still more feasible course yet to be discovered, there can be no reason- 

 able doubt. Yet, in proportion as that country becomes settled will 

 locust-injury be more and more easily controlled. But we do not hesi- 

 tate to give it as our deliberate opinion that there will be no serious in- 

 jury in such temporary region the coming summer, and, probably, not 

 for several years to come. We rest this conclusion, first, on our per- 

 sonal examinations the past autumn over much of the country named ; 

 secondly, on the reports of correspondents in said country (App. 14); 

 thirdly, on the reports from the extreme IS'orthwest, or permanent region. 

 These show that none of the insects of any consequence that hatched in 

 the temporary region remained to lay eggs ; that scarcely any eggs were 

 laid by the scattering autumn swarms, and that, with few exceptions, 

 the permanent region east of the mountains is likewise remarkably free 

 of eggs. 



