﻿RELATION 
  OF 
  TEMPERATURE 
  TO 
  DEVELOPMENT 
  OF 
  THE 
  EGGS. 
  135 
  

  

  The 
  first 
  thing 
  we 
  notice 
  in 
  this 
  table 
  worthy 
  of 
  remark 
  is 
  the 
  con- 
  

   tinuous 
  low 
  temperature 
  from 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  December, 
  1872, 
  to 
  the 
  3d 
  

   of 
  February, 
  1873, 
  the 
  minimum 
  thermometer 
  making 
  during 
  this 
  pe- 
  

   riod 
  42 
  days 
  below 
  zero, 
  while 
  during 
  the 
  same 
  period 
  in 
  the 
  winter 
  of 
  

   1873-74 
  it 
  stood 
  below 
  zero 
  only 
  17 
  days. 
  We 
  also 
  observe 
  that 
  during 
  

   the 
  former 
  the 
  maximum 
  temperature 
  was 
  below 
  zero 
  7 
  days, 
  while 
  it 
  

   fell 
  below 
  zero 
  only 
  one 
  day 
  during 
  the 
  winter 
  of 
  1873-74. 
  A 
  further 
  

   comparison 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  winters 
  shows 
  that 
  the 
  latter 
  was 
  decidedly 
  more 
  

   favorable 
  to 
  the 
  locust 
  than 
  the 
  former, 
  if 
  the 
  eggs 
  are 
  at 
  all 
  affected 
  by 
  

   long 
  continued 
  and 
  extreme 
  cold, 
  which 
  is 
  very 
  doubtful. 
  

  

  The 
  Fort 
  Benton 
  record 
  not 
  only 
  corresponds 
  with 
  this 
  showing, 
  but 
  

   the 
  contrast 
  is 
  still 
  more 
  marked 
  ; 
  that 
  of 
  Fort 
  Garry, 
  Manitoba, 
  shows 
  

   very 
  little 
  difference 
  between 
  the 
  two 
  winters 
  in 
  this 
  respect 
  ; 
  the 
  record 
  

   of 
  Virginia 
  City 
  presents 
  no 
  marked 
  difference, 
  

  

  Reference 
  to 
  the 
  record 
  of 
  Fort 
  Sully 
  for 
  the 
  winter 
  of 
  1874-75, 
  given 
  

   in 
  the 
  preceding 
  table, 
  will 
  show 
  that, 
  while 
  December 
  was 
  compara- 
  

   tively 
  mild, 
  there 
  was 
  a 
  long 
  continued 
  cold 
  spell 
  in 
  January 
  and 
  Feb- 
  

   ruary. 
  The 
  Fort 
  Garry 
  minimum 
  thermometer 
  shows 
  an 
  unbroken 
  suc- 
  

   cession 
  of 
  minuses 
  (below 
  zero 
  marks) 
  from 
  December 
  28 
  to 
  March 
  7; 
  

   also 
  a 
  continuous 
  maximum 
  below 
  zero 
  from 
  January 
  2 
  to 
  19. 
  

  

  The 
  maximum 
  and 
  minimum 
  record 
  for 
  Fort 
  Sully 
  for 
  the 
  winter 
  of 
  

   1875-76, 
  preceding 
  the 
  invasion 
  of 
  1876, 
  is 
  even 
  more 
  favorable 
  than 
  

   that 
  of 
  1873-74, 
  if 
  comparative 
  mildness 
  is 
  favorable. 
  

  

  Whether 
  the 
  records 
  of 
  but 
  six 
  or 
  seven 
  years 
  will 
  justify 
  us 
  in 
  assum- 
  

   ing 
  any 
  law 
  as 
  established 
  thereby 
  in 
  reference 
  to 
  the 
  subject 
  now 
  under 
  

   consideration 
  is 
  very 
  doubtful 
  ; 
  certainly 
  not, 
  unless 
  the 
  data 
  are 
  uniform 
  

   in 
  their 
  bearing 
  on 
  the 
  point. 
  Still 
  there 
  are 
  sufficient 
  indications 
  in 
  the 
  

   facts 
  just 
  presented 
  to 
  lead 
  us 
  to 
  believe 
  it 
  probable 
  that 
  here 
  we 
  shall 
  

   find, 
  in 
  part 
  at 
  least, 
  what 
  we 
  are 
  hunting 
  for, 
  but 
  if 
  so 
  we 
  must 
  confess 
  

   that 
  it 
  is 
  in 
  a 
  very 
  different 
  quarter 
  from 
  what 
  we 
  supposed. 
  

  

  If 
  we 
  now 
  turn 
  to 
  the 
  record 
  of 
  rainfall, 
  as 
  shown 
  in 
  Table 
  V 
  II, 
  we 
  find 
  

   that 
  the 
  amount 
  for 
  the 
  winter 
  months 
  at 
  the 
  stations 
  within 
  or 
  near 
  the 
  

   borders 
  of 
  the 
  permanent 
  breeding-grounds 
  is 
  so 
  small 
  throughout 
  the 
  

   years 
  included 
  that 
  the 
  differences 
  can 
  cut 
  no 
  important 
  figure 
  in 
  the 
  mat- 
  

   ter 
  under 
  discussion. 
  On 
  inspection 
  of 
  the 
  records, 
  the 
  months 
  of 
  May 
  

   and 
  June, 
  at 
  Fort 
  Sully, 
  shows, 
  contrary 
  to 
  the 
  theory 
  heretofore 
  ad- 
  

   vanced, 
  that 
  the 
  rainfall 
  in 
  1874 
  was 
  greater 
  than 
  1873 
  or 
  1875 
  ; 
  the 
  

   same 
  thing 
  is 
  also 
  true 
  in 
  reference 
  to 
  Breckenridge 
  ; 
  but 
  at 
  Saint 
  Paul, 
  

   Omaha, 
  and 
  Keokuk 
  the 
  case 
  is 
  reversed. 
  At 
  the 
  other 
  points 
  the 
  differ- 
  

   ence 
  is 
  not 
  very 
  marked 
  either 
  way. 
  The 
  total 
  for 
  the 
  years 
  at 
  the 
  

   different 
  stations 
  also 
  fails 
  to 
  reveal 
  any 
  very 
  marked 
  difference 
  favor- 
  

   able 
  to 
  the 
  theory 
  advanced, 
  except 
  that 
  as 
  a 
  general 
  rule 
  that 
  of 
  1874 
  

   appears 
  to 
  be 
  below 
  the 
  average; 
  but 
  at 
  Saint 
  Paul, 
  Fort 
  Sully, 
  Vir- 
  

   ginia 
  City, 
  and 
  Breckenridge 
  the 
  amount 
  in 
  1874 
  was 
  actually 
  greater 
  

   than 
  in 
  1875. 
  

  

  We 
  are 
  therefore 
  forced 
  to 
  the 
  conclusion 
  that 
  the 
  meteorological 
  data, 
  

   so 
  far 
  as 
  we 
  have 
  considered 
  them, 
  fail 
  to 
  reveal 
  any 
  facts 
  that 
  tend 
  to 
  con- 
  

  

  