VERTEBRATE ENEMIES OF THE LOCUST. 335 



received by tbe Commission to tbeir questions bearing on tbis part 

 sbows very clearly a waking up to tbe great importance of securing by 

 proper protection tbe aid of birds and ptber locust-eating vertebrates. 



Tbe remarkable and apparently mysterious disappearance in tbe early 

 part of tbe season of sucb a large portion of tbe locusts wbicb were 

 hatcbed, and also of eggs wbicb bad been deposited tbe season previous 

 (1876), was for a time, and is even yet by many attributed almost wbolly 

 to climatic influences and insect and otber minute enemies and parasites. 

 Wbile tbere can be no doubt tbat tbese little invertebrate friends bave 

 aided very materially in tbis work of destruction, yet tbe facts ascer- 

 tained sbow very clearly tbat a large portion is attributable to otber 

 causes. Experience has also sbown tbat tbe destruction by climatic 

 influences is far less tban was generally anticipated, especially of tbe 

 eggs, wbicb were supposed to be comparatively easily affected by tbe 

 alternations of temperature and bumidity. To sucb an extent has tbe 

 proof affected public opinion on tbis point, tbat it now generally runs 

 to tbe opposite extreme, and it is quite common to bear tbose wbo 

 watcbed tbe result during tbe spring of 1877, say tbat neitber cbanges 

 in temperature, freezing, cold, beat, or moisture, bave any appreciable 

 effect upon tbe eggs. 



But, aside from tbeory, tbe ocular demonstration of tbe usefulness of 

 birds as locust-destroyers was so full and complete during tbe past year 

 tbat it was impossible to entertain any longer a doubt on tbis point. 

 Even tbose wbo believed tbe remedy inadequate to tbe evil were forced 

 to admit tbeir usefulness in proportion to tbeir numbers. Professor 

 Augbey, wbo bas made tbis subject a special study for a number of 

 years, remarks in bis article on tbe Birds of Nebraska, wbicb will be 

 found fully quoted elsewbere (App. 2) tbat " during tbe summer of 1877 

 many farmers over tbe locust-covered region of tbe West were con- 

 verted to tbe policy of protecting tbe birds by observing tbeir insectiv- 

 orous babits." 



Not only do tbe extracts from correspondence bereafter given prove 

 positively tbe great usefulness of birds in tbis respect, but tbe members 

 of tbe Commission wbile in tbe fleld bad repeated opportunities of veri 

 fying tbe trutb of tbese statements. In one instance a farmer took one 

 of tbe members to a field to sbow bim bow numerously tbe young 

 locusts had batched out, but when he reached tbe place where they had 

 been so abundant in tbe morning, to his amazement, none were to be 

 found ; the statement by tbe family that a flock of blackbirds bad been 

 in the field during his absence afforded an explanation of the apparent 

 mystery. 



In another instance a garden was attacked by an innumerable host of 

 minute locusts ; tbe owner battled bravely with them for a while, but at 

 last, giving up in despair, sat down to watch tbe progress of destruction 

 of his vegetables and flowers, when suddenly a flock of blackbirds 

 alighted on the young cotton woods he had planted in his yard. Hav- 



