﻿246 
  REPORT 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  ENTOMOLOGICAL 
  COMMISSION. 
  

  

  out 
  at 
  the 
  inner 
  margin 
  about 
  one-third 
  the 
  length 
  from 
  the 
  tip 
  ; 
  the 
  costal 
  area 
  i» 
  

   marked 
  with 
  from 
  one 
  to 
  three 
  dark 
  brown 
  or 
  fuscous 
  spots, 
  the 
  one 
  next 
  the 
  base 
  

   and 
  opposite 
  the 
  costal 
  angle 
  the 
  largest, 
  one 
  or 
  both 
  the 
  others, 
  which 
  are 
  small, 
  

   often 
  wanting; 
  the 
  di 
  seal 
  or 
  middle 
  marked 
  with 
  rather 
  large 
  spots 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  

   kind, 
  which 
  are 
  somewhat 
  transverse, 
  and 
  fading 
  toward 
  the 
  apex 
  where 
  they 
  are 
  ob- 
  

   literated. 
  Wings 
  pellucid, 
  veins 
  and 
  veinlets 
  of 
  the 
  outer 
  (anterior 
  when 
  spread) 
  

   half 
  dark, 
  except 
  the 
  strong 
  subcostal 
  vein, 
  which 
  is 
  white 
  or 
  pale 
  yellow 
  ; 
  those 
  of 
  

   the 
  inner 
  half 
  mostly 
  yellowish. 
  Posterior 
  femora 
  varying 
  in 
  color 
  from 
  dull 
  yellow 
  

   to 
  brown 
  ; 
  usually, 
  but 
  not 
  always, 
  marked 
  externally 
  with 
  two 
  oblique 
  brownish 
  

   bands. 
  Posterior 
  tibiae 
  yellowish. 
  

  

  THE 
  LOCUST 
  IN 
  CALIFORNIA 
  IN 
  1878. 
  

  

  The 
  following 
  extracts 
  will 
  give 
  an 
  idea 
  of 
  the 
  injury 
  in 
  1878* 
  

  

  This 
  valley 
  has 
  been 
  infested 
  by 
  locusts 
  increasing 
  so 
  much 
  of 
  late 
  as 
  to 
  totally 
  

   destroy 
  the 
  crops 
  and 
  strike 
  terror 
  to 
  the 
  inhabitants. 
  While 
  botanizing 
  here 
  two 
  

   years 
  ago, 
  I 
  collected 
  specimens 
  of 
  various 
  locusts 
  and 
  sent 
  them 
  to 
  the 
  Academy 
  of 
  

   Sciences, 
  at 
  San 
  Francisco. 
  No 
  report. 
  Last 
  season 
  I 
  was 
  absent 
  in 
  Southern 
  Cali- 
  

   fornia, 
  so 
  I 
  have 
  no 
  specimens 
  of 
  the 
  locusts 
  that 
  devastated 
  this 
  valley, 
  and 
  whose 
  

   eggs 
  are 
  thickly 
  deposited 
  on 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  sunny 
  knolls. 
  

  

  I 
  think 
  these 
  locusts 
  come 
  from 
  the 
  desert 
  northeast 
  of 
  us 
  by 
  easy 
  stages, 
  yearly.. 
  

   This 
  valley 
  lies 
  in 
  latitude 
  39° 
  40' 
  north, 
  and 
  longitude 
  129° 
  30' 
  west, 
  at 
  an 
  altitude 
  

   of 
  about 
  5,000 
  feet. 
  

  

  As 
  this 
  valley, 
  35 
  miles 
  long 
  by 
  half 
  as 
  wide, 
  lies 
  in 
  the 
  Sierra 
  Nevada, 
  to 
  the 
  west 
  

   of 
  one 
  of 
  its 
  loftiest 
  chains, 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  interesting 
  to 
  know 
  if 
  the 
  true 
  C. 
  spretus 
  is 
  the 
  

   locust 
  that 
  is 
  devouring 
  our 
  herbage. 
  

  

  To 
  perfectly 
  understand 
  the 
  problem, 
  it 
  is 
  fair 
  to 
  state 
  that 
  the 
  valley 
  is 
  connected 
  

   to 
  the 
  great 
  basin 
  through 
  this 
  Sierra 
  barrier 
  by 
  the 
  low 
  pass 
  of 
  Beckwourth, 
  though 
  

   the 
  locusts 
  did 
  not 
  come 
  through 
  it, 
  but, 
  as 
  supposed, 
  they 
  came 
  eating 
  their 
  way 
  

   from 
  over 
  the 
  ridge 
  to 
  the 
  northward 
  as 
  stated. 
  

  

  I 
  will 
  in 
  due 
  time 
  send 
  forward 
  specimens 
  of 
  the 
  species 
  here, 
  with 
  notes 
  of 
  their 
  

   habits, 
  ravages, 
  &c. 
  

  

  The 
  excellent 
  and 
  useful 
  report 
  of 
  your 
  Commission 
  (First 
  Annual 
  Report 
  United 
  

   States 
  Entomological 
  Commission, 
  1877), 
  is 
  in 
  my 
  hands. 
  Wish 
  I 
  knew 
  whether 
  it 
  

   was 
  advisable 
  to 
  exhort 
  the 
  farmers 
  to 
  fight 
  the 
  pest 
  with 
  coal-oil 
  and 
  machinery. 
  

   They 
  have 
  bred 
  here 
  for 
  three 
  years, 
  and 
  seem 
  on 
  the 
  increase. 
  Eat 
  up 
  grain 
  and 
  

   late 
  grass. 
  Last 
  year 
  damage 
  estimated 
  at 
  $30,000 
  in 
  a 
  population 
  of 
  2,000. 
  — 
  [J. 
  G. 
  

   Lemmon 
  in 
  a 
  letter 
  to 
  C. 
  V. 
  Riley, 
  March 
  10, 
  1879. 
  

  

  Grasshoppers 
  in 
  Sierra 
  Valley. 
  — 
  Reno 
  Journal, 
  July 
  8 
  : 
  A 
  gentleman 
  in 
  from 
  

   Sierra 
  Valley 
  informs 
  us 
  that 
  the 
  grasshoppers 
  are 
  destroying 
  a 
  great 
  deal 
  of 
  grain 
  in 
  

   the 
  valley. 
  Out 
  of 
  one 
  field, 
  from 
  which 
  400 
  tons 
  ought 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  cut, 
  only 
  150 
  tons 
  

   were 
  left, 
  and 
  even 
  this 
  was 
  saved 
  by 
  the 
  exertions 
  of 
  the 
  farmers. 
  The 
  hoppers 
  are 
  

   now 
  all 
  in 
  the 
  north 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  valley, 
  but 
  when 
  this 
  is 
  all 
  eaten 
  up 
  they 
  will 
  no 
  

   doubt 
  turn 
  their 
  attention 
  to 
  the 
  lower 
  end. 
  They 
  rise 
  in 
  such 
  clouds 
  that 
  the 
  sun 
  

   is 
  darkened, 
  and 
  shortly 
  after 
  they 
  light 
  on 
  a 
  field 
  nothing 
  is 
  left 
  but 
  a 
  mass 
  of 
  un- 
  

   sightly 
  stalks. 
  They 
  do 
  not 
  touch 
  the 
  wet 
  land, 
  nor 
  will 
  they 
  touch 
  the 
  hay 
  after 
  it 
  

   is 
  cut 
  and 
  cured. 
  Cases 
  are 
  cited 
  where 
  the 
  insects 
  have 
  gone 
  just 
  ahead 
  of 
  the 
  

   mowers 
  and 
  destroyed 
  the 
  majority 
  of 
  the 
  grain. 
  In 
  one 
  such 
  case, 
  out 
  of 
  200 
  tons 
  

   only 
  25 
  were 
  saved. 
  Dairymen 
  are 
  suffering 
  considerably 
  because 
  their 
  grazing 
  lands 
  

   are 
  being 
  destroyed, 
  and 
  this, 
  with 
  the 
  low 
  price 
  of 
  butter, 
  is 
  causing 
  many 
  to 
  leave 
  

   that 
  business 
  entirely. 
  Probably 
  one- 
  half 
  of 
  the 
  entire 
  crop 
  of 
  the 
  valley 
  will 
  be 
  lost. 
  

   Fortunately 
  2,000 
  tons 
  of 
  hay 
  was 
  carried 
  over 
  from 
  last 
  year. 
  This 
  will 
  keep 
  the 
  

   price 
  this 
  year 
  about 
  as 
  usual, 
  but 
  next 
  year 
  it 
  is 
  likely 
  a 
  notable 
  advance 
  in 
  the 
  price 
  

   will 
  be 
  apparent. 
  The 
  grasshoppers 
  have 
  possession 
  of 
  Sierra 
  Valley, 
  and 
  what 
  is 
  

  

  