﻿DIFFICULTY 
  OF 
  DETERMINING 
  SPECIES. 
  61 
  

  

  ing 
  upon 
  the 
  notices 
  of 
  isolated 
  specimens 
  obtained 
  from 
  various 
  sec- 
  

   tions. 
  The 
  experience 
  in 
  this 
  country 
  bears 
  us 
  out 
  in 
  this 
  opinion. 
  

   Professor 
  Haldeman, 
  as 
  late 
  as 
  1853, 
  supposes 
  (E. 
  corallipes 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  

   species 
  so 
  destructive 
  to 
  vegetation 
  in 
  Utah 
  ; 
  ■* 
  and 
  it 
  was 
  not 
  until 
  

   Walsh 
  took 
  the 
  matter 
  in 
  hand 
  in 
  186G 
  that 
  the 
  western 
  locust 
  was 
  specifi- 
  

   cally 
  determined 
  ; 
  nor 
  was 
  the 
  distinction 
  between 
  spretus 
  and 
  atlantis 
  

   suspected 
  until 
  observed 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Eiley 
  in 
  1874, 
  when 
  the 
  invasion 
  of 
  that 
  

   year 
  caused 
  him 
  to 
  enter 
  upon 
  the 
  careful 
  study 
  of 
  the 
  species. 
  What 
  

   species 
  the 
  migratory 
  locust 
  of 
  California 
  is, 
  in 
  fact 
  whether 
  California 
  

   has 
  a 
  truly 
  migratory 
  locust, 
  are 
  points 
  not 
  yet 
  satisfactorily 
  settled. 
  

  

  An 
  incident 
  showing 
  the 
  liability 
  to 
  error 
  in 
  determining 
  a 
  migratory 
  

   species 
  from 
  specimens 
  sent 
  is 
  mentioned 
  in 
  the 
  Proceedings 
  of 
  the 
  En- 
  

   tomological 
  Society 
  of 
  London. 
  159 
  A 
  copy 
  of 
  a 
  dispatch 
  from 
  the 
  English 
  

   charge" 
  d'affaires 
  at 
  Madrid 
  was 
  submitted 
  to 
  the 
  society 
  relative 
  to 
  the 
  

   plague 
  of 
  locusts, 
  together 
  with 
  a 
  box 
  of 
  specimens. 
  The 
  insects 
  sent 
  

   were 
  stated 
  to 
  be 
  Locusta 
  migrator 
  ia, 
  when, 
  on 
  examination, 
  they 
  were 
  

   ascertained 
  to 
  be 
  Decticus 
  albifrons. 
  

  

  The 
  confusion 
  in 
  reference 
  to 
  A. 
  peregrinum 
  and 
  the 
  closely 
  allied 
  

   species 
  is 
  so 
  great 
  that 
  no 
  entomologist 
  can 
  decide 
  in 
  reference 
  to 
  a 
  

   specimen 
  satisfactorily 
  without 
  having 
  recourse 
  to 
  a 
  well-stocked 
  cabi- 
  

   net. 
  According 
  to 
  Stal, 
  160 
  G. 
  migrator 
  his 
  var. 
  z 
  of 
  Thunb., 
  G. 
  rufescens 
  

   Thunb., 
  and 
  A. 
  flaviventre 
  Burm. 
  are 
  ail 
  synonyms 
  of 
  A. 
  peregrinum 
  Serv. 
  

   He 
  also 
  gives 
  as 
  the 
  localities 
  where 
  the 
  specimens 
  of 
  this 
  species 
  which 
  

   are 
  in 
  the 
  Mus. 
  Holm, 
  were 
  found 
  as 
  Buenos 
  Ayres, 
  Montevideo, 
  Bahia, 
  

   Madeira, 
  Teneriffe, 
  Algiers, 
  Egypt, 
  Xubia, 
  and 
  East 
  Indies. 
  

  

  Walker 
  161 
  gives 
  as 
  localities 
  from 
  which 
  specimens 
  in 
  the 
  British 
  

   Museum 
  were 
  taken, 
  Syria, 
  Egypt, 
  Madeira, 
  Teneriffe, 
  South 
  Africa, 
  Cey- 
  

   lon, 
  Xepaul, 
  Hindostan, 
  North 
  Bengal, 
  and 
  "500 
  miles 
  from 
  land." 
  Oli- 
  

   vier 
  mentions 
  Egypt, 
  Arabia, 
  Mesopotamia, 
  and 
  Persia. 
  Krauss 
  and 
  other 
  

   authorities 
  mention 
  Senegal 
  and 
  the 
  Canary 
  Islands. 
  In 
  addition 
  to 
  

   these 
  localities, 
  it 
  is 
  stated 
  that 
  specimens 
  have 
  been 
  found 
  in 
  Spain 
  f 
  

   Portugal, 
  and 
  England. 
  

  

  If 
  we 
  should 
  accept 
  these 
  as 
  true, 
  and 
  from 
  them 
  attempt 
  to 
  fix 
  the 
  

   area 
  of 
  distribution 
  for 
  this 
  species, 
  we 
  should 
  have 
  to 
  include 
  all 
  the 
  

   territory 
  bounded 
  by 
  a 
  line 
  running 
  from 
  the 
  Ganges 
  to 
  the 
  Aral 
  Sea, 
  

   thence 
  to 
  England, 
  thence 
  to 
  the 
  Argentine 
  Eepublic, 
  thence 
  to 
  the 
  

   Cape 
  of 
  Good 
  Hope, 
  and 
  back 
  to 
  the 
  starting 
  point. 
  Could 
  such 
  a 
  con- 
  

   clusion 
  be 
  accepted 
  ? 
  We 
  think 
  not. 
  Yet 
  the 
  extreme 
  points 
  depend 
  

   upon 
  the 
  authority 
  of 
  Stal, 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  thorough 
  orthopterists 
  of 
  the 
  

   present 
  age. 
  That 
  the 
  area 
  over 
  which 
  this 
  species 
  roams 
  is 
  very 
  ex- 
  

   tensive 
  must 
  be 
  admitted. 
  There 
  are 
  also 
  some 
  reasons 
  for 
  believing 
  

   that 
  it 
  is 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  West 
  Indies, 
  but 
  the 
  species 
  inhabiting 
  the 
  Argen- 
  

   ts* 
  Stansbury's 
  Report, 
  p. 
  371. 
  

   1691876— 
  xxi, 
  August 
  2. 
  

   l60 
  Recensio 
  Orthopterorum, 
  p. 
  65. 
  

   161 
  Cat. 
  Dermap. 
  Salt., 
  iii, 
  p. 
  577. 
  

  

  