[66] REPORT UNITED STATES ENTOMOLOGICAL COMMISSION. 



starting again. On <he 18th tlieir number increased doubly, traveling in tlie same 

 direction, with the wind blowing in the same direction. They eat everything tender, 

 even the leaves of peach-trees, and at night the trees, houses, and walls were literally 

 covered with them. 



October 21. — Wind from the nortli. At about 2 o'clock p. m., swarm upon swarm dark- 

 ens the sky, traveling south, and very high. At night a great number alight. 



After that date they diminish daily, traveling always east or south, as the wind 

 allowed them to do. 



On the 4th of November, a light rain having moistened the ground (before that we 

 had a protracted drought), they began to deposit their eggs in immense quantity, and 

 continued to do so about al this month, at the end of which they had nearly all disap- 

 peared. As the fall has been very dry, no wheat was sowed before the appearance of 

 grasshoppers, and the presence of the insects delayed the sowing until about the mid- 

 dle of November ; so no fall- wheat was damaged. " 



1863, February 22 — I observed the first 'hoppers hatching in a warm dry place. Since 

 March 3, great numbers hatch out, and continue to hatch for a month after. In the 

 valley where the water had stood several days on the ground, some 'hoppers hatch very- 

 late, after the ground begins to dry up. 



March 29. — They congregate in bushes along the branches, and seem traveling north- 

 ward. 



April 10. — They are coming out of the covers and in fields, where th'ey commit great 

 depredations. 



April 14. — Traveling very much. 



April 15. — Follow down the branches. 



April 16. — Seem to follow the back track of yesterday. 



April 26. — See numbers dead— more than half-grown. 



April 30. — See a few with wings. 



May 10. — A good many got wings. 



May 15. — They begin to leave, flying in a northward direction ; the wind blowing from 

 the south. At the end of the month about all have disappeared. 



I think most of the eggs deposited in the fall hatch out. The ravages were mostly 

 confined along the branches, where the 'hoppers seemed seeking a shelter for their 

 transformations. In such situations, entire patches of oats and corn were destroyed gen- 

 erally. The wheat was but little injured, and as we had abundant rain in the spring 

 and summer, the year proved to be a good one for grain, vegetables, cotton, and 

 fruits. • • 



1874, September 14. — At about 1 o'clock p. m., wind blowing lightly from the north, 

 immense swarms of grasshoppers made their appearance, alighted, and 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 mouth 

 the most had disappeared, traveling always in a southern or western direction. 



1875. — It was the 10th of March when the young 'hoppers began to hatch, but I don't 

 think now that more than the third of the quantity deposited in the fall hatch out ; 

 some seem to have rotted in the ground, and a good many were probably destroyed by 

 insects of the Carabiclce family. I have seen an Evartlirus gravidus' eat'mg some. 



In spite of that, immense legions of young pests swarmed on all the dry places of the 

 praiiie, and great destruction of crops was expected. Fortunately, great flocks of 

 birds, appearing nearly at the same time, made a terrible havoc among them. I have 

 seen fields covered wfth such numbers of grasshoppers as to leave no hope for crop 

 whatever entirely cleared out in one day by these useful birds ; and this is the place 

 to say a word or two about them. The first to put in appearance, and very often 

 traveling together, are the cxmlevi' (Xumeniiis boreal is) Rud the golden plover (C/?fira- 

 (Irius virginius).^ Soon after these have left for more northern latitudes, a third species, 

 called also (although improperly) plover, arrives, and often covers the prairie in small 

 flocks, and i-endering always good service, because it stays with us till the grown 'hop- 

 pers have left. The scientific name of that species is Arctiturus bartramius. The 

 quantity of young 'hoppers eaten up by these three kinds of birds only is truly amaz- 

 ing ; nevertheless, a good many are killed every spring by sportsmen and poachers. A 

 law for the protection of all the insectivorous birds would be a blessing for the farm- 

 ers, and will help materially to lessen the number of noxious insects. 



That year the 'hoppers did but little damage: they began to get wings in May, but 

 I think the most died just after thev had wings. I have seen piles of them along the 

 blufts. 



In the fall of the same year- they appeared again in limited numbers, but did no 

 ' damage, and deposited no eggs. 



Ansicers to the questions in Circular 1. Dallas Cotmty. 



1. September 19, at 11 o'clock, a. m. 



la. Moderate, north. 



lb. Smoky, but not cloudy ; warm. 



