﻿PREFACE 
  

  

  This 
  Second 
  Eeport 
  of 
  the 
  Commission 
  on 
  the 
  Eocky 
  Mountain 
  Lo- 
  

   cust 
  is 
  the 
  result 
  chiefly 
  of 
  the 
  labors 
  of 
  Messrs. 
  Packard 
  and 
  Thomas, 
  

   in 
  their 
  efforts 
  to 
  solve 
  a 
  most 
  difficult 
  problem, 
  namely, 
  the 
  permanent 
  

   amelioration 
  of 
  the 
  locust 
  evil 
  by 
  preventing 
  the 
  excessive 
  increase 
  of 
  

   the 
  destructive 
  insect 
  in 
  its 
  native 
  habitat, 
  and 
  its 
  disastrous 
  migra- 
  

   tions 
  therefrom. 
  

  

  During 
  the 
  year 
  1878 
  the 
  labors 
  of 
  the 
  Commission 
  were 
  seriously 
  in- 
  

   terfered 
  with, 
  first, 
  by 
  an 
  inadequate 
  appropriation 
  unavailable 
  till 
  the 
  

   1st 
  of 
  July; 
  second, 
  by 
  the 
  time 
  required 
  of 
  Mr. 
  Eiley 
  in 
  publish- 
  

   ing 
  our 
  first 
  report 
  j 
  third, 
  by 
  the 
  warlike 
  disposition 
  of 
  the 
  Indians 
  

   that 
  year, 
  which 
  rendered 
  travel 
  unsafe 
  and 
  sometimes 
  impossible 
  in 
  

   many 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  country 
  to 
  be 
  explored. 
  Dr. 
  Packard 
  visited 
  por- 
  

   tions 
  of 
  Colorado, 
  Wyoming, 
  Utah, 
  and 
  Idaho, 
  and 
  also 
  received 
  infor- 
  

   mation 
  from 
  others 
  regarding 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  locusts 
  in 
  these 
  Territories, 
  

   and 
  especially 
  in 
  Montana 
  and 
  Eastern 
  Oregon. 
  He 
  found 
  that 
  this 
  was 
  

   a 
  normal 
  year, 
  and 
  the 
  locust 
  was 
  found 
  to 
  occur 
  throughout 
  all 
  these 
  

   Territories 
  in 
  greater 
  or 
  less 
  numbers, 
  but 
  usually 
  only 
  in 
  scattering 
  

   swarms 
  ; 
  still, 
  damage 
  of 
  a 
  serious 
  nature 
  was 
  done 
  to 
  crops 
  in 
  portions 
  

   of 
  Montana 
  and 
  Utah. 
  To 
  particularize, 
  in 
  Colorado 
  scattering 
  indi- 
  

   viduals 
  occurred 
  all 
  over 
  the 
  northern 
  counties, 
  both 
  on 
  the 
  plains 
  and 
  

   on 
  the 
  mountain 
  summits. 
  Small 
  swarms 
  occurred 
  in 
  Estes 
  Park, 
  South 
  

   Park, 
  and 
  among 
  the 
  mountains 
  of 
  Gilpin 
  County, 
  where 
  eggs 
  in 
  large 
  

   numbers 
  were 
  laid. 
  

  

  Wyoming, 
  on 
  the 
  whole, 
  was 
  less 
  infested 
  than 
  in 
  1877, 
  though 
  large 
  

   swarms 
  were 
  observed 
  on 
  eclipse 
  day 
  at 
  Como 
  Station 
  on 
  the 
  Union 
  

   Pacific 
  Eailroad, 
  and 
  local 
  swarms 
  were 
  observed 
  on 
  Gilbert's 
  Peak 
  and 
  

   on 
  Ham's 
  Fork 
  late 
  in 
  August. 
  In 
  Utah 
  locusts 
  were 
  a 
  severe 
  scourge 
  

   in 
  Summit 
  County, 
  one-half 
  the 
  wheat 
  crop 
  having 
  been 
  destroyed 
  by 
  

   them. 
  They 
  were 
  also 
  abundant 
  in 
  Cache 
  and 
  Malade 
  Valleys, 
  which 
  

   indicated 
  danger 
  in 
  Northern 
  Utah 
  the 
  ensuing 
  year 
  of 
  1879. 
  None 
  

   occurred 
  south 
  of 
  San 
  Pete, 
  Utah. 
  He 
  found 
  that 
  in 
  Eastern 
  Idaho 
  

   locusts 
  were 
  abundant 
  from 
  the 
  Utah 
  line 
  to 
  the 
  Montana 
  line, 
  especially 
  

   at 
  Franklin 
  and 
  at 
  Taylor's 
  Bridge, 
  and 
  local 
  swarms 
  were 
  observed 
  

   about 
  Shoshone 
  Lake. 
  

  

  In 
  Montana 
  local 
  swarms 
  were 
  destructive 
  to 
  farms 
  on 
  Stinking- 
  Water 
  

   Eiver 
  and 
  Eyan's 
  Canon 
  and 
  about 
  Bozeman 
  and 
  Sterling 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  

  

  XIII 
  

  

  