﻿REMErTES 
  AGAINST 
  THE 
  WESTERN 
  CRICKET. 
  167 
  

  

  plicit 
  observations 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  time 
  and 
  mode 
  of 
  deposition 
  of 
  the 
  eggs 
  

   have 
  been 
  made 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Thomas. 
  We 
  extract 
  the 
  following 
  statement 
  

   from 
  his 
  notes: 
  

  

  On 
  my 
  return 
  from 
  Montana, 
  in 
  the 
  latter 
  part 
  of 
  July, 
  1871, 
  as 
  I 
  passed 
  through 
  

   Malade 
  Valley. 
  Northern 
  Utah, 
  I 
  noticed 
  thousands 
  of 
  A 
  nabrus 
  rimpl&t 
  depositing 
  eggs. 
  

   The 
  female 
  thrust 
  her 
  ovipositor 
  straight 
  down 
  into 
  the 
  ground 
  its 
  full 
  length. 
  I 
  did 
  

   nor 
  have 
  time 
  to 
  stop 
  and 
  watch 
  the 
  operation 
  as 
  I 
  was 
  in 
  the 
  stage. 
  

  

  I 
  am 
  convinced 
  from 
  an 
  examination 
  of 
  the 
  ovaries 
  of 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  

   Anabrus 
  purpurascens 
  collected 
  on 
  the 
  flanks 
  of 
  Gray's 
  Peak, 
  above 
  tim- 
  

   ber 
  line, 
  in 
  the 
  latter 
  part 
  of 
  August, 
  that 
  this 
  species 
  deposits 
  its 
  eggs 
  

   in 
  August 
  and 
  early 
  in 
  September, 
  and 
  that 
  from 
  fifty 
  to 
  seventy-five 
  

   eggs 
  are 
  laid 
  by 
  the 
  female. 
  The 
  eggs 
  of 
  this 
  species 
  are 
  cylindrical 
  

   long 
  oval, 
  as 
  are 
  those 
  of 
  A. 
  simplex, 
  which 
  are 
  long, 
  with 
  the 
  surface 
  

   very 
  minutely, 
  microscopically 
  pitted, 
  and 
  pearly 
  white. 
  

  

  How 
  they 
  are 
  placed 
  in 
  the 
  earth, 
  whether 
  in 
  sacks 
  like 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  

   locust, 
  is 
  not 
  known. 
  The 
  young 
  hatch 
  out 
  probably 
  rather 
  late 
  in 
  the 
  

   spring, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  during 
  the 
  early 
  stages 
  of 
  growth, 
  and 
  soon 
  after 
  reach- 
  

   ing 
  maturity, 
  that 
  they 
  are 
  most 
  gregarious, 
  moving 
  about 
  after 
  food 
  in 
  

   armies, 
  and 
  thus 
  proving 
  most 
  destructive. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Thomas 
  observed, 
  June 
  14, 
  1871, 
  little 
  groups 
  of 
  young, 
  he 
  thinks 
  

   from 
  (30 
  to 
  75 
  in 
  a 
  group, 
  evidently 
  hatched 
  from 
  eggs 
  laid 
  by 
  one 
  female. 
  

  

  REMEDIES. 
  

  

  As 
  the 
  crickets 
  usually 
  breed 
  in 
  the 
  more 
  elevated, 
  dry, 
  and 
  sterile 
  

   region 
  of 
  the 
  Western 
  Territories, 
  for 
  the 
  most 
  part 
  away 
  from 
  farms, 
  

   their 
  habits 
  are 
  not 
  well 
  known, 
  as 
  they 
  are 
  secluded 
  from 
  ordinary 
  ob- 
  

   servation 
  ; 
  hence 
  they 
  are 
  only 
  observed 
  when 
  full-sized 
  and 
  while 
  mak- 
  

   ing 
  their 
  descents 
  upon 
  the 
  farms 
  lying 
  near 
  the 
  water-courses 
  and 
  

   irrigating 
  ditches. 
  When, 
  however, 
  fields 
  of 
  grain 
  are 
  invaded, 
  or 
  in 
  

   danger 
  of 
  being 
  invaded, 
  by 
  the 
  crickets, 
  ditching 
  dry 
  and 
  wet, 
  with 
  

   the 
  liberal 
  use 
  of 
  coal-oil, 
  is 
  the 
  easiest, 
  most 
  thorough, 
  and 
  practical 
  

   remedy. 
  This 
  mode 
  of 
  destroying 
  crickets 
  should 
  be 
  put 
  into 
  practice 
  

   in 
  the 
  same 
  manner 
  as 
  recommended 
  by 
  the 
  Commission 
  in 
  its 
  First 
  

   Annual 
  Eeport. 
  The 
  cricket, 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  known, 
  has 
  done 
  little 
  or 
  no 
  mis- 
  

   chief 
  in 
  Colorado, 
  as 
  it 
  lives 
  aniODg 
  the 
  foot-hills 
  and 
  the 
  higher 
  mount- 
  

   ains, 
  far 
  above 
  the 
  agricultural 
  region. 
  In 
  Utah, 
  Xevada, 
  and 
  Idaho, 
  

   however, 
  it 
  infests 
  cultivated 
  regions, 
  and 
  in 
  these 
  regions, 
  unfortu- 
  

   nately, 
  locusts 
  are 
  not 
  fought 
  so 
  energetically 
  and 
  systematically 
  as 
  by 
  

   the 
  farmers 
  of 
  Colorado 
  and 
  the 
  border 
  States. 
  Where 
  irrigation 
  is 
  

   practiced 
  it 
  would 
  be 
  easy 
  to 
  protect 
  fields 
  of 
  grain 
  by 
  allowing 
  coal-oil 
  

   to 
  drop 
  from 
  a 
  pail 
  on 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  water 
  running 
  in 
  the 
  ditches. 
  

   These, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  all 
  other 
  insects, 
  do 
  not 
  breathe 
  by 
  the 
  mouth, 
  but 
  the 
  

   air 
  enters 
  the 
  body 
  for 
  respiration 
  by 
  an 
  internal 
  system 
  of 
  air-tubes 
  

   (trachea), 
  through 
  a 
  series 
  of 
  air-holes 
  or 
  spiracles 
  situated 
  along 
  the 
  

   sides 
  of 
  the 
  body. 
  If 
  a 
  film 
  of 
  oil 
  covers 
  these 
  holes 
  the 
  insect 
  is 
  choked 
  

   to 
  death, 
  i. 
  e., 
  becomes 
  suffocated, 
  and 
  speedily 
  dies. 
  Hence 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  

  

  