CHRONOLOGY: KANSAS, 1877. 73 



No invasions from the Rocky Mountains occurred, and only local swarms 

 after July 8 passed to and fro over the State, laying few or no eggs, and 

 whatever apprehensions were felt in the early spring the result shows 

 that an unusually large wheat-crop was raised. 



To enter a little more in detail : Throughout the locust area of the 

 State south of the Kansas Pacific Eailroad — which area includes most 

 of the region bounded on the east by a line running from a little west 

 of Lawrence toward Fort Scott, and on the west by another passing up 

 through Hutchinson and Ellsworth — the eggs were laid in 1876 in suffi- 

 cient quantities to have given birth to locusts enough to have eaten every- 

 thing green by the time they attained full growth, under conditions 

 favorable to them. Many of the eggs were destroyed by the Anthomyia 

 egg-parasite, and the other enemies described in Mr. Eiley's Reports. 

 Some of them hatched in the fall, and many more during the warm 

 weather of the latter part of January and fore part of February. The 

 insects thus hatched perished. The balk of the eggs hatched during 

 the last week of March and the early part of April. The young insects 

 were very thick then; they commenced to do injury and begat general 

 fear. The farmers for the most part fought them with energy. Then 

 followed, from the middle of April on, a period of cold and wet weather; 

 the young rapidly weakened and were from all quarters reported as 

 disappearing. The continued cold after the principal hatching, had the 

 effect to kill many that were just hatching or moulting. The heavy 

 rains also washed many away into the streams, and in some instances 

 on soils which contain sand and lime, and which are liable to crack 

 when dry, the rains doubtless covered up and killed such as were shel- 

 tering in such fissures. 



Still, considerable numbers became fledged, and local swarms were 

 passing through and over the State, through the summer ; while light 

 swarms flew into the State from the south and north. For example : 



A small swarm passed over the western p art of the State May 17 and 19, in a north and 

 northeast direction. Other flights, all going northwest, passed over Labette County 

 May 23, and over Norton and Ellis Counties in the same direction from the 21st to the 

 23d. An extensive swarm passed over the western counties May 26 and 27, flying 

 north. Light swarms passed northwest at intervals from this time on until the main 

 exodus from the State. This occurred on June 12, 13, and 14, and was very general, 

 the insects flying due north. 



From the 15th to the 20fch, the locusts were leaving in scattered nnmbers whenever 

 favorable weather prompted, and after the 20th few remained, save in exceptional lo- 

 . calities where hatching was greatly delayed from local causes. 



After this date the following observations were made by Mr. Gaumer, 

 at Lawrence : 



At 1 p. m. June 16, the first winged locusts were seen flying over the Wakarusa. 

 They were very high in the air. The wind at the time was blowing at the rate of about 

 fifteen miles per hour, from a direction a little east of south, and the locusts were flying 

 with the wind. The sky was nearly clear and weather warm. 



June 18, they again began to fly, at 11.45 a. m. The wind was south-southwest, and 

 blowing at the rate of about forty miles per hour. They increased in number until 



