60 REPORT UNITED STATES ENTOMOLOGICAL COMMISSION. 



left an immense amount of eggs behind, which, at the beginning of 

 spring — I. €., the latter part of January in this section — began to hatch. 

 Then it was discovered that the eggs had been laid over a tract of 

 country nearly two miles wide, having the Eio Grande Eiver for its 

 center, and following its course out to what distance I am unable to 

 ascertain." (Frederick Belford, United States Signal Service, Eagle 

 Pass.) 



1874. — Mr. Belford continues his statement regarding the progeny of 

 the locusts which invaded Texas in 1873; "The wingless insects were 

 harmless in the early stages of their growth, but as their development 

 proceeded, the work of devastation began. In the first part of May, 

 1874, they began to move — not flying, but crawling. The fact has been 

 observed that the movements of these swarms of young locusts were in 

 exactly the opposite direction to which their progenitors had traveled. 

 They seemed to retrace the steps of their ancestors. Those hatched on 

 this side of the Eio Grande Eiver moved north toward the settlements, 

 and on their way everything in the shape of vegetation was totally 

 consumed. Those hatched on the Mexican side of the Eio Grande (they 

 extended a mile and a half on each side of the river) took a direction 

 west of north, and the work of devastation was equally great in the 

 parts of Mexico they passed over. I am assured on good authority that 

 when leaving this section they were too young to fly, and their march 

 was carried on by crawling and hopping. Toward the latter part of 

 May, 1874, all had left, and planting was begun. Now, these young 

 locusts, before leaving, had deposited eggs, but the eggs of the young 

 ones are not very i)lentiful and sparsely distributed. The people of this 

 section, while this occurs, do not mind it much, as the damage done by 

 this not very numerous offspring is never considerable." 



At Denison they arrived in September, 1874. (United States Signal 

 Office.) September 14, 1874, locusts appeared in Dallas County, but, 

 according to Mr. Boll, were not one-tenth as abundant as in 1876 j still 

 they destroyed all the young vegetation, and injured the fall wheat to 

 some extent. "All this month they laid countless millions of eggs, about 

 as many as in 1867. At the end of this month most had disax3peared 

 traveling in a southern or eastern direction. (G. Eeveschon.) 



1875. — It seems by the extract from Mr. Belford's statement, that the 

 young hatched this year from eggs laid in the late autumn of 1874 did 

 but little injury to crops. He adds, " In September, 1875, another large 

 swarm of locusts made its appearance, coming from the same direction, 

 i, e., north, but their numbers were not as formidable as those of the 

 previous year. These insects deposited their eggs, which were hatched 

 the ensuing spring, i. e., latter part of January, 1876. The numbers of the 

 young ones coming forth was comparatively insignificant, and having 

 in their turn deposited their eggs, they left about the first half of May, 

 1876, in a northerly direction. (F. Belford, Eagle Pass, United States 



