﻿POSITION 
  OF 
  THE 
  LOCUST 
  WHILE 
  FLYING. 
  87 
  

  

  and 
  hence 
  have 
  only 
  to 
  sustain 
  themselves 
  in 
  the 
  air, 
  the 
  labor 
  of 
  which 
  

   is 
  less 
  and 
  less 
  as 
  the 
  velocity 
  of 
  the 
  wind 
  increases, 
  renders 
  the 
  state- 
  

   ments 
  of 
  such 
  extended 
  flights 
  less 
  improbable 
  than 
  they 
  would 
  other- 
  

   wise 
  appear. 
  

  

  4. 
  THE 
  MODE 
  OF 
  FLIGHT; 
  AND 
  MANNER 
  LN 
  WHICH 
  SWARMS 
  ABE 
  

  

  FORMED 
  AND 
  MOVE. 
  

  

  The 
  position 
  of 
  the 
  individuals 
  during 
  flight 
  has 
  not 
  yet 
  been 
  studied 
  

   with 
  sufficient 
  care 
  in 
  this 
  country 
  to 
  enable 
  us 
  to 
  speak 
  as 
  exactly 
  in 
  re- 
  

   gard 
  to 
  it 
  as 
  we 
  desire. 
  So 
  far 
  as 
  the 
  observations 
  of 
  the 
  Commission 
  in 
  

   reference 
  to 
  it 
  extend, 
  and 
  the 
  reports 
  of 
  local 
  observers 
  go, 
  it 
  appears 
  

   to 
  be 
  their 
  rule 
  when 
  the 
  wind 
  is 
  any 
  ways 
  strong 
  to 
  turn 
  their 
  heads 
  to 
  

   the 
  wind, 
  the 
  hind 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  body 
  dropping 
  so 
  that 
  the 
  axis 
  of 
  the 
  

   body 
  forms 
  an 
  angle 
  of 
  30° 
  or 
  40° 
  with 
  the 
  plane 
  of 
  their 
  flights. 
  In 
  

   this 
  position 
  the 
  beating 
  of 
  their 
  wings 
  against 
  the 
  wind 
  has 
  a 
  tendency 
  

   to 
  carry 
  them 
  upwards 
  $ 
  in 
  fact, 
  the 
  force 
  of 
  the 
  wind 
  against 
  the 
  ex- 
  

   panded 
  wings 
  would 
  have 
  this 
  tendency. 
  This, 
  as 
  will 
  be 
  observed, 
  is 
  

   the 
  easiest 
  possible 
  position 
  they 
  can 
  assume, 
  and 
  the 
  one 
  that 
  requires 
  

   the 
  least 
  muscular 
  effort 
  ; 
  it 
  follows 
  also 
  that 
  the 
  stronger 
  the 
  wind 
  the 
  

   less 
  the 
  effort 
  necessary 
  to 
  keep 
  them 
  up. 
  When 
  the 
  wind 
  is 
  very 
  light 
  

   and 
  insufficient 
  to 
  support 
  them 
  with 
  a 
  moderate 
  exertion 
  of 
  muscular 
  

   power, 
  they 
  either 
  come 
  down, 
  or 
  turning 
  their 
  heads 
  in 
  the 
  direction 
  

   the 
  breeze 
  is 
  moving, 
  propel 
  themselves 
  by 
  true 
  flying. 
  

  

  An 
  accurate 
  observer 
  writing 
  from 
  Marshall, 
  Lyon 
  County, 
  Minnesota, 
  

   says 
  : 
  

  

  They 
  only 
  float 
  with 
  the 
  wind 
  when 
  flying 
  high, 
  and 
  go 
  just 
  as 
  fast 
  as 
  the 
  wind 
  

   hlows. 
  With 
  a 
  strong 
  glass 
  I 
  can 
  plainly 
  see 
  locusts 
  and 
  cottonwood-seeds 
  flying 
  

   together, 
  and 
  they 
  keep 
  the 
  same 
  rate 
  of 
  progress, 
  but 
  the 
  locusts 
  will 
  leave 
  the 
  

   seed 
  to 
  the 
  right 
  and 
  left 
  and 
  go 
  below 
  and 
  above 
  them, 
  showing 
  that 
  they 
  make 
  use 
  

   of 
  their 
  wings 
  to 
  keep 
  up 
  and 
  gyrate 
  in 
  flying, 
  but 
  I 
  think 
  they 
  propel 
  ahead 
  none 
  at 
  

   all 
  after 
  they 
  get 
  high, 
  but 
  fly 
  forward 
  and 
  upward 
  very 
  fast 
  when 
  rising 
  from 
  the 
  

   ground 
  to 
  fly 
  away 
  or 
  for 
  short 
  flights. 
  — 
  [D. 
  F. 
  Weymouth. 
  

  

  Xow 
  this 
  statement, 
  which 
  corresponds 
  with 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  statements 
  

   on 
  this 
  point 
  by 
  our 
  local 
  observers 
  and 
  our 
  own 
  observations, 
  makes 
  it 
  

   evident 
  that 
  the 
  locusts 
  when 
  high 
  were 
  moving 
  backwards, 
  that 
  is, 
  with 
  

   the 
  head 
  to 
  the 
  wind 
  and 
  opposite 
  the 
  direction 
  in 
  which 
  they 
  were 
  mov- 
  

   ing 
  ; 
  for 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  position 
  they 
  can 
  assume 
  with 
  the 
  head 
  forward, 
  in 
  

   which 
  the 
  wind 
  can 
  buoy 
  them 
  up 
  and 
  drive 
  them 
  forward. 
  The 
  only 
  

   position 
  they 
  could 
  assume 
  to 
  accomplish 
  this 
  end 
  would 
  be 
  with 
  the 
  

   abdomen 
  turned 
  obliquely 
  upward 
  and 
  the 
  head 
  downward, 
  an 
  impossi- 
  

   ble 
  posture 
  for 
  them 
  to 
  maintain. 
  

  

  Another 
  correspondent 
  says 
  : 
  

  

  They 
  always 
  travel 
  with 
  the 
  wind, 
  that 
  is 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  direction 
  ; 
  of 
  a 
  calm 
  day 
  they 
  

   travel 
  as 
  fast 
  as 
  the 
  wind, 
  but 
  when 
  the 
  wind 
  is 
  strong 
  they 
  right 
  about 
  face, 
  letting 
  the 
  

   wind 
  carry 
  them. 
  — 
  [H. 
  M. 
  Cox. 
  

  

  This 
  corresponds 
  exactly 
  with 
  theory 
  and 
  with 
  our 
  own 
  observations. 
  

   When 
  the 
  air 
  is 
  nearly 
  calm 
  and 
  they 
  attempt 
  flight 
  they 
  must 
  neces- 
  

  

  