﻿THE 
  WESTERN 
  CRICKET, 
  ITS 
  HABITS 
  AND 
  RAVAGES. 
  163 
  

  

  hatching-grounds, 
  and 
  a 
  greater 
  number 
  of 
  local 
  flights 
  from 
  the 
  north- 
  

   west, 
  but 
  none 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  year 
  previous 
  from 
  the 
  region 
  where 
  the 
  insect 
  

   breeds 
  permanently. 
  It 
  will 
  be 
  seen 
  that 
  in 
  1880 
  a 
  few 
  local 
  flights 
  of 
  

   unimportance 
  resulted 
  from 
  the 
  progeny 
  of 
  these 
  1879 
  swarms. 
  

  

  In 
  this 
  year 
  also 
  Central 
  and 
  Eastern 
  Montana 
  was, 
  for 
  the 
  first 
  time 
  

   since 
  1861, 
  the 
  year 
  of 
  the 
  settlement 
  of 
  the 
  Territory, 
  free 
  from 
  this 
  

   pest, 
  and 
  to 
  the 
  fact 
  of 
  the 
  freedom 
  from 
  incoming 
  swarms 
  in 
  1879 
  is 
  

   due 
  the 
  entire 
  immunity 
  of 
  Montana 
  from 
  locusts 
  (C. 
  spretus) 
  in 
  1880. 
  

   We 
  thus 
  have 
  two 
  years 
  in 
  succession 
  in 
  this 
  Territory 
  of 
  entire 
  freedom 
  

   from 
  this 
  pest, 
  although 
  the 
  very 
  citadel 
  whence 
  in 
  former 
  years 
  hordes 
  of 
  

   locusts 
  have 
  invaded 
  the 
  regions 
  East 
  and 
  South. 
  For 
  notices 
  of 
  the 
  

   slight 
  swarms 
  observed 
  in 
  other 
  portions 
  of 
  the 
  Permanent 
  Eegion, 
  the 
  

   reader 
  may 
  turn 
  back 
  to 
  Chapter 
  I, 
  pp. 
  10-14. 
  

  

  CHAPTER 
  VIII. 
  

   THE 
  WESTEEN 
  CEICKET. 
  

  

  ITS 
  HABITS 
  AND 
  RAVAGES. 
  

  

  Very 
  destructive 
  in 
  the 
  Great 
  Basin, 
  to 
  crops 
  of 
  wheat 
  and 
  other 
  

   cereals 
  and 
  to 
  grass 
  is 
  a 
  large, 
  stout, 
  thick-bodied, 
  dark 
  insect, 
  bearing 
  a 
  

   general 
  resemblance 
  to 
  an 
  ordinary 
  cricket, 
  but 
  much 
  larger 
  and 
  nearly 
  

   wingless. 
  Like 
  the 
  cricket, 
  it 
  is 
  nocturnal 
  in 
  its 
  habits, 
  hiding 
  by 
  day 
  

   under 
  grass, 
  sage-bushes, 
  and 
  leaves 
  or 
  stones, 
  and 
  appearing 
  at 
  dusk 
  or 
  

   soon 
  after 
  sunset. 
  

  

  Unlike 
  the 
  Eocky 
  Mountain 
  locust, 
  which 
  usually 
  breeds 
  in 
  river 
  bot- 
  

   toms 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  less 
  elevated 
  prairies 
  and 
  plains, 
  the 
  cricket 
  breeds 
  al- 
  

   most 
  wholly 
  on 
  dry, 
  sterile 
  uplands, 
  where 
  the 
  sage-bush 
  flourishes, 
  and 
  

   in 
  the 
  foot-hills 
  of 
  the 
  Eocky 
  Mountains 
  and 
  its 
  spurs, 
  up 
  to 
  an 
  eleva- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  12,000 
  feet 
  ; 
  and 
  while 
  the 
  locust 
  may, 
  and 
  often 
  does, 
  breed 
  at 
  

   as 
  high 
  an 
  elevation 
  as 
  the 
  Anabrus, 
  still 
  its 
  more 
  abundant 
  and 
  nor- 
  

   mal 
  breeding 
  grounds 
  are, 
  as 
  a 
  rule, 
  situated 
  below 
  the 
  natural 
  habitat 
  

   of 
  this 
  cricket. 
  

  

  For 
  example, 
  the 
  Colorado 
  species 
  (Anabrus 
  imrpurascens. 
  Fig. 
  1), 
  is 
  

   only 
  seen 
  in 
  Colorado, 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  we 
  are 
  aware, 
  between 
  an 
  altitude 
  of 
  

   7,000 
  or 
  8,000 
  feet, 
  

   up 
  to 
  an 
  elevation 
  

   of 
  12,000 
  or 
  13,000 
  

   feet, 
  i. 
  e., 
  from 
  the 
  

   foot-hills 
  of 
  the 
  

   eastern 
  slope 
  of 
  the 
  c^S&Wr 
  ^t^ 
  

  

  Eocky 
  Mountain 
  Fig. 
  *• 
  — 
  Anabrus 
  purpurascens, 
  nat. 
  siz6 
  ; 
  a, 
  female 
  ; 
  c, 
  end 
  of 
  male 
  abdo- 
  

   IL 
  , 
  men, 
  sbowing 
  tbe 
  claspers, 
  b. 
  

  

  range 
  up 
  to 
  about 
  

  

  1,000 
  feet 
  above 
  the 
  timber 
  line, 
  which 
  at 
  Gray's 
  and 
  Pike's 
  Peak 
  is 
  

  

  about 
  11,000 
  feet 
  above 
  the 
  sea-level. 
  I 
  have 
  met 
  with 
  Anabrus 
  purpur- 
  

  

  