[122] REPORT UNITED STATES ENTOMOLOGICAL COMMISSION. 



and more rotten ones. South of Lincoln, on Hudson's breaking, locusts still hatching 

 out. 



Lincoln, Thursday, May 24, 1877. — Mean temperature to-day, 70° F. Continued in- 

 vestigations to-day four miles north of Lincoln. Found the dead locusts on highlands 

 again average nearly a line longer than those on the low lands. They probably can 

 survive longest in the driest situations. 



Lincoln, Friday, May 25, 1877. — Temperature, 9 a. m., 65° F. ; 12 m., 70° F. ; 2 p. m., 

 75^ F. Received many letters of inquiry about the locusts. Farmers generally much 

 encouraged, and begin to think the locust question settled. This is specially the case 

 where they fight them with coal-oil and other pans. They in such places think that 

 what nature does not do they can accomplish. 



Lincoln, Saturday, May 2G, 1877. — Temperature, 10 a. m., 69° F. ; 12 m.,»70° F. ; 2 p. 

 m., 79° F. A few more locusts hatched out to-day, and yet their numbers are not in- 

 creasing. 



Lincoln, Sunday, May 27, 1877.— Temperature at 9 a. m,, 58° F. ; 12 m., 67° F. ; 2 p. 

 m., 79° F. This afternoon, though warm, found many locusts dying beyond the Ante- 

 lope and elsewhere around town. Some other cause than low temperature evidently 

 fatal to the locusts. Rained heavilv this afternoon. 



Lincoln, Monday, May 28, 1877.— Temperature, 9 a. m., 64° F. ; 12 m., 68° F. ; 2 p. 

 m., 77° F. Another laige hatch of locusts hatched out this afternoon. Many small ones 

 again visible. Occasionally there is one half grown. Caught first locust-mite of this 

 season to-day. South wind all day. 



Lincoln, luesday, May 29, 1877.— Temperature, 9 a. m., 67° F. ; 12 m.,7.3°F. ; 2 p. 

 m., 79° F. This afternoon went to South Lincoln and some miles into the country. 

 Where the young locusts were abundant yesterday and the day before, hardly one to 

 be seen to-day alive, but many dead ones, another evidence that most die within a 

 few days of the time that they ha ch out. At Hudson's breaking found still a great 

 number of unhatched eggs. In evening went east beyond the Antelope to a ridge of 

 land. Here also found few live, but many dead ones. Wind blowing from the south 

 all day, and blowing hard. 



Lincoln, Wednesday, May 30, 1877. — Temperature, 9 a. m., 68° F. ; 12 m., 71°F. ;2p. 

 m., 80° F. Wind blowing hard from the south all day. Some few locusts to be seen, 

 but few, not many, hatching out. The supply gives signs of being exhausted. 



Heard to-day that the western part of Nemaha County was desolated in part by the 

 locusts ; probably exaggerated. People fighting them by ditches, nets, and coal-oil 

 pans. Will probably succeed in saving their crops. 



At 4 p. m. a sudden fall of temperature, though the wind was still blowing from the 

 south. Fell in half an hour from 80° F. to 60° F. ; in half an hour more to 55° F. At 

 dusk rain began to fall in torrents, and continued until 9.30 p. m. 



Lincoln, Thursday, May 31, 1877. — Temperature, 9 a. m., .55° F. ; 12 m., 74^° F. ; 2 p. 

 m., 74° F. This morning wind still from south, but clear. 



To-day, a few miles from Lincoln, on Oak Creek and elsewhere, again found a great 

 number of dead locusts. In an eddy in the creek found bushels ; on the land in sev- 

 eral places found them one and two inches deep. An unusual number died or were 

 destroyed since yesterday. 



Lincoln, Saturday, June 2, 1877. — Mean temperature, 63° F. Went with Mr. Leavitt 

 and Budd 12 miles south of Lincoln this afternoon. Found only one place where the 

 locusts were doing much injury, this 6 miles south of Lincoln. Here there must have 

 been over 500 to a square foot on small areas of a few rods in extent. One corner of 

 wheat-field entirely destroyed. The owner not doing much to protect himself ; trusts 

 to Providence. At the foot of a hill here, found dead locusts i inch deep ; had been 

 washed together by the rains. Also found near this place a great number of locusts 

 with defective mouth-parts ; could not eat. This probably the cause of the dying off 

 of many at this place. Some of the farmers here testify to this ; also to the fact that 

 great numbers have died and are dying. 



All the farmers consulted testified that there were not near so many locusts as there 

 ■were three weeks and a month ago. They had little fear of them. 



Lincoln, Sunday, June 3, 1877. — Temperature, 9 a. m., 57° F. ; 12 m., 71° ,• 2 p. m., 

 78° F. At the Antelope found a few more unhatched eggs to-day. To-day the birds 

 here, especially quail, Bartramian plover, and blackbirds, were unusually busy in pick- 

 ing up stray locusts. Watched them for an hour doing this. 



Learned by telegraph that the locusts from the south lit down in large numbers, 

 coming from the south, and remained 2J hours, when they went on north. 



Lincoln, Monday, June 4, 1877. — Temperature, 9 a. m., 50° F. ; 12 m., 61° F; 2 p. m., 

 70° F. Rained heavily last night. Received a letter to-day from Wahac, Saunders 

 County. It reports the locusts as dying there in immense numbers. Where the water 

 can wash them together they often lie from ^ to 2 inches deep. A letter from Reamer, 

 in Richardson County, says that immense numbers of kerosene-pans are there em- 

 ployed to kill the locusts, and that it is successfully done. 



