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  REPORT 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  ENTOMOLOGICAL 
  COMMISSION. 
  

  

  Extensive 
  egg-laying 
  has 
  been 
  going 
  on 
  since 
  July 
  1, 
  and 
  still 
  continues 
  in 
  locali- 
  

   ties 
  that 
  do 
  not 
  admit 
  of 
  plow, 
  harrow, 
  or 
  water. 
  So 
  the 
  future 
  is 
  dark. 
  No 
  egg 
  par- 
  

   asites 
  yet 
  noticed. 
  — 
  [J. 
  G. 
  Lemmon 
  in 
  letter 
  to 
  C. 
  V. 
  Riley, 
  Aug. 
  27, 
  1879.] 
  

  

  Grasshoppers 
  have 
  invaded 
  this 
  section. 
  Two 
  large 
  patches 
  are 
  on 
  the 
  Truckee 
  

   meadows. 
  The 
  farmers 
  are 
  not 
  alarmed 
  to 
  any 
  great 
  extent. 
  — 
  [Reno 
  paper, 
  May 
  9 
  r 
  

   1879. 
  

  

  Nevada 
  newspapers 
  announce 
  that 
  vast 
  numbers 
  of 
  grasshoppers' 
  eggs 
  are 
  incubat- 
  

   ing 
  in 
  the 
  Sierra 
  Valley. 
  A 
  spadeful 
  of 
  soil 
  is 
  represented 
  to 
  have 
  contained 
  hundreds 
  

   of 
  thousands 
  of 
  eggs 
  deposited 
  in 
  clusters. 
  The 
  farmers 
  have 
  not 
  turned 
  a 
  furrow 
  this 
  

   spring, 
  knowing 
  that 
  with 
  these 
  pests 
  in 
  the 
  soil 
  their 
  work 
  would 
  be 
  fruitless 
  of 
  re- 
  

   sult. 
  Grain 
  crops 
  will 
  only 
  foster 
  the 
  scourge, 
  while 
  to 
  let 
  the 
  ground 
  remain 
  idle 
  

   may 
  starve 
  the 
  insects 
  into 
  emigration. 
  Fears 
  are 
  expressed 
  that 
  they 
  may 
  sweep 
  

   down 
  upon 
  the 
  fertile 
  valleys 
  of 
  California. 
  — 
  [Rocky 
  Mountain 
  Husbandman, 
  May 
  22,- 
  

   1879. 
  

  

  THE 
  MOUNTAIN 
  GRASSHOPPERS. 
  

  

  Reports 
  from 
  the 
  Sierra 
  state 
  that 
  the 
  grasshoppers, 
  which 
  have 
  laid 
  waste 
  Sierra 
  

   Valley 
  for 
  two 
  years 
  past, 
  are 
  now 
  moving 
  toward 
  the 
  west. 
  David 
  Evans, 
  of 
  Long 
  

   Valley, 
  tells 
  the 
  Reno 
  Gazette 
  that 
  within 
  the 
  last 
  ten 
  days 
  the 
  grasshoppers 
  have 
  

   appeared 
  in 
  strong 
  force 
  in 
  Grizzly 
  Valley. 
  They 
  came 
  from 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  Sierra 
  Valley, 
  

   where 
  they 
  are 
  still 
  numerous. 
  Grizzly 
  Valley 
  is 
  at 
  a 
  much 
  greater 
  elevation 
  ; 
  so 
  

   high 
  that 
  grain 
  cannot 
  be 
  cultivated, 
  and 
  nothing 
  but 
  grass 
  is 
  grown. 
  Mr. 
  Evans 
  thinks 
  

   their 
  next 
  move 
  will 
  be 
  into 
  Indian 
  Valley, 
  whence 
  their 
  progress 
  to 
  Big 
  Meadows, 
  

   Plumas 
  County, 
  will 
  be 
  easy. 
  And 
  he 
  surmises 
  that 
  the 
  Sacramento 
  Valley 
  will 
  next 
  

   year 
  suffer 
  from 
  the 
  ravages 
  of 
  the 
  insects. 
  This 
  is 
  at 
  present 
  little 
  more 
  than 
  con- 
  

   jecture, 
  and 
  though 
  the 
  scourge 
  should 
  be 
  well 
  watched 
  it 
  is 
  too 
  soon 
  to 
  become 
  

   alarmed. 
  The 
  grasshopper 
  of 
  this 
  slope 
  is 
  (Edipoda 
  atrox, 
  and 
  not 
  the 
  famous 
  Rocky 
  Moun- 
  

   tain 
  locust 
  (Caloptenus 
  spretus). 
  It 
  would 
  not 
  matter 
  much, 
  of 
  course, 
  what 
  difference 
  

   there 
  may 
  be 
  in 
  names, 
  but 
  for 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  our 
  grasshopper 
  has 
  not 
  shown 
  such 
  

   migratory 
  and 
  devastating 
  power 
  as 
  the 
  Rocky 
  Mountain 
  rascal, 
  and 
  the 
  probability 
  

   is 
  that 
  in 
  the 
  future 
  his 
  grievous 
  work 
  will 
  be 
  restricted 
  to 
  certain 
  localities 
  as 
  it 
  has 
  

   been 
  in 
  the 
  past. 
  At 
  all 
  events 
  we 
  shall 
  hope 
  so 
  until 
  there 
  is 
  reason 
  to 
  think 
  other- 
  

   wise. 
  — 
  Pacific 
  Rural 
  Press, 
  August 
  9, 
  1879. 
  

  

  THE 
  SIERRA 
  LOCUSTS. 
  

  

  Our 
  contributor, 
  Prof. 
  J. 
  G. 
  Lemmon, 
  writes 
  to 
  the 
  Truckee 
  Republican 
  an 
  account 
  

   of 
  his 
  recent 
  observations 
  on 
  the 
  locust 
  plague 
  which 
  has 
  afflicted 
  Sierra 
  Valley, 
  and 
  

   to 
  which 
  we 
  have 
  frequently 
  referred. 
  His 
  remarks 
  on 
  the 
  various 
  parasitic 
  foes, 
  

   which 
  bid 
  fair 
  to 
  reduce 
  the 
  evil 
  considerably, 
  are 
  of 
  much 
  interest. 
  The 
  " 
  red, 
  silky 
  

   mite" 
  is 
  here 
  in 
  great 
  abundance, 
  almost 
  every 
  locust 
  in 
  some 
  sections 
  being 
  loaded 
  

   with 
  them, 
  especially 
  at 
  the 
  base 
  and 
  under 
  the 
  wings. 
  So 
  is 
  the 
  Tachina 
  fly, 
  chasing 
  

   swiftly 
  after 
  the 
  hopping 
  or 
  flying 
  locust, 
  darting 
  upon 
  it 
  and 
  depositing 
  an 
  egg, 
  

   which 
  speedily 
  hatches, 
  gnaws 
  its 
  way 
  through 
  the 
  joints 
  of 
  the 
  abdomen 
  to 
  the 
  inte- 
  

   rior, 
  becomes 
  a 
  large, 
  many-legged 
  maggot, 
  swelling 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  bodv 
  of 
  the 
  locust 
  and 
  

   eating 
  its 
  viscera 
  fore 
  and 
  aft, 
  until, 
  weak 
  and 
  incumbered, 
  the 
  victim 
  falls 
  and 
  

   dies. 
  The 
  Gordius, 
  or 
  hair 
  worm, 
  too, 
  is 
  here, 
  and 
  several 
  other 
  undetermined 
  para- 
  

   sites, 
  all 
  seeming 
  to 
  riot 
  upon 
  the 
  abundant 
  food. 
  A 
  congener 
  of 
  the 
  atrocious 
  locust 
  

   himself, 
  a 
  little 
  yellow 
  cricket 
  about 
  the 
  same 
  size, 
  but 
  ten 
  times 
  spryer, 
  is 
  seen 
  to 
  

   vigorously 
  attack 
  the 
  locust 
  on 
  foot 
  or 
  flying, 
  to 
  bring 
  him 
  down, 
  and 
  instantly 
  cut- 
  

   ting 
  off 
  his 
  head, 
  devours 
  a 
  morsel, 
  then 
  twirls 
  his 
  antenna 
  about, 
  and 
  cocks 
  his 
  eyes 
  

   for 
  another 
  victim. 
  

  

  "And 
  what 
  of 
  the 
  future? 
  When 
  will 
  this 
  visitation 
  cease, 
  or 
  is 
  it 
  overpast? 
  The 
  

   female 
  locusts 
  have 
  been 
  noted 
  in 
  vast 
  numbers 
  ovipositing 
  in 
  gravel 
  beds, 
  in 
  dry 
  

   knolls 
  of 
  the 
  meadows, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  sands 
  under 
  the 
  sage 
  bushes 
  of 
  the 
  common. 
  Those 
  

   beginning 
  this 
  work 
  early 
  in 
  the 
  season 
  — 
  in 
  July 
  — 
  it 
  is 
  feared 
  laid 
  perfect 
  eggs 
  and 
  secured 
  

  

  