﻿[8] 
  REPORT 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  ENTOMOLOGICAL 
  COMMISSION. 
  

  

  the 
  Rocky 
  Mountains 
  in 
  immense 
  numbers 
  and 
  perished 
  in 
  the 
  snow. 
  A 
  friend 
  of 
  mine 
  

   says 
  they 
  were 
  six 
  inches 
  deep 
  on 
  the 
  snow. 
  

  

  In 
  1676, 
  June 
  20, 
  flew 
  southeast 
  to 
  July 
  25, 
  then 
  drifted 
  every 
  way 
  the 
  balance 
  of 
  

   the 
  season 
  ; 
  did 
  but 
  little 
  damage 
  west 
  of 
  longitude 
  100° 
  30' 
  west. 
  Laid 
  their 
  eggs 
  

   south 
  of 
  latitude 
  41° 
  from 
  Colorado 
  at 
  least 
  east 
  to 
  100th 
  meridian. 
  None 
  north 
  of 
  

   this 
  line. 
  

  

  In 
  1877, 
  April 
  25, 
  parties 
  coming 
  in 
  from 
  Republican 
  Valley 
  say 
  that 
  the 
  country 
  is 
  

   full 
  of 
  young 
  'hoppers 
  from 
  the 
  bluffs 
  south 
  of 
  the 
  Platte 
  to 
  south 
  line 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  ; 
  

   April 
  12, 
  I 
  started 
  for 
  Niobrara 
  River, 
  returned 
  April 
  25 
  ; 
  saw 
  none 
  on 
  the 
  route. 
  

   May 
  12 
  went 
  to 
  Republican 
  River, 
  then 
  up 
  to 
  the 
  White 
  Man's 
  Fork 
  ; 
  saw 
  very 
  few 
  

   young 
  'hoppers 
  ; 
  the 
  people 
  said 
  that 
  the 
  heavy 
  rain 
  had 
  destroyed 
  them. 
  

  

  J. 
  W. 
  LA 
  MUNYON. 
  

  

  Chapman, 
  Merrick 
  County, 
  May 
  18, 
  1877. 
  

  

  Question 
  19. 
  Our 
  section 
  was 
  most 
  severely 
  visited 
  in 
  1876. 
  

  

  Question 
  20. 
  Was 
  visited 
  in 
  1873, 
  about 
  May 
  15, 
  and 
  did 
  considerable 
  damage 
  to 
  the 
  

   wheat, 
  the 
  only 
  crop 
  we 
  had 
  at 
  that 
  date 
  ; 
  staid 
  about 
  forty-eight 
  hours 
  ; 
  was 
  cool 
  

   and 
  damp 
  while 
  they 
  stopped 
  ; 
  they 
  traveled 
  from 
  southwest 
  to 
  northeast 
  ; 
  again 
  in 
  

   1876 
  (in 
  wheat 
  harvest), 
  probably 
  about 
  July 
  15; 
  came 
  from 
  northwest 
  ; 
  injured 
  the 
  

   late 
  wheat, 
  destroyed 
  the 
  entire 
  corn 
  crop, 
  potatoes, 
  melons, 
  and 
  garden 
  truck 
  in 
  

   general. 
  

  

  Question 
  31. 
  They 
  always 
  travel 
  with 
  the 
  wind, 
  i. 
  e., 
  the 
  same 
  direction; 
  of 
  nearly 
  a 
  

   calm 
  day 
  they 
  travel 
  as 
  fast 
  as 
  the 
  wind 
  ; 
  but 
  when 
  the 
  wind 
  is 
  strong 
  they 
  right- 
  

   about 
  face, 
  letting 
  the 
  wind 
  carry 
  them. 
  They 
  always 
  stop 
  when 
  the 
  wind 
  changes. 
  

   In 
  1876 
  they 
  came 
  from 
  the 
  northwest, 
  nearly 
  covering 
  the 
  ground 
  and 
  all 
  vegetation. 
  

   It 
  was 
  a 
  bright 
  clear 
  day 
  ; 
  they 
  staid 
  fourteen 
  days, 
  eating 
  everything 
  but 
  native 
  

   grasses 
  and 
  plants 
  most 
  repugnant 
  to 
  them 
  ; 
  they, 
  for 
  the 
  first 
  time, 
  deposited 
  eggs 
  

   with 
  us, 
  and 
  they 
  hatched 
  out 
  this 
  spring 
  by 
  the 
  millions, 
  but 
  did 
  not 
  grow 
  any, 
  and 
  

   consequently 
  died 
  when 
  a 
  few 
  days 
  old. 
  At 
  the 
  present 
  writing 
  — 
  five 
  weeks 
  from 
  the 
  

   first 
  hatching 
  — 
  there 
  is 
  scarcely 
  one 
  to 
  be 
  found, 
  and 
  at 
  no 
  time 
  were 
  they 
  any 
  larger 
  

   than 
  when 
  first 
  hatched. 
  We 
  think 
  the 
  cool, 
  wet 
  weather 
  is 
  the 
  probable 
  cause 
  of 
  

   their 
  dying. 
  

  

  H. 
  M. 
  COX. 
  

  

  Ponca, 
  Dixon 
  County, 
  August 
  9. 
  

  

  August 
  9, 
  1872. 
  — 
  The 
  'hoppers 
  (a 
  small 
  flight) 
  came 
  down 
  upon 
  us, 
  remaining 
  about 
  

   three 
  and 
  a 
  half 
  days, 
  doing 
  very 
  little 
  damage. 
  

  

  May 
  28, 
  1873. 
  — 
  At 
  about 
  noon 
  to-day 
  we 
  were 
  visited 
  by 
  any 
  amount 
  of 
  Mormon 
  

   grasshoppers 
  ; 
  they 
  went 
  to 
  work 
  immediately 
  depositing 
  their 
  eggs, 
  doing 
  but 
  little 
  

   damage 
  to 
  vegetation. 
  

  

  June 
  5. 
  — 
  The 
  'hoppers 
  about 
  all 
  left 
  to-day. 
  In 
  the 
  spring 
  of 
  1874 
  the 
  eggs 
  hatched 
  

   early 
  and 
  in 
  abundance 
  ; 
  they 
  destroyed 
  some 
  fields 
  of 
  small 
  grain 
  entirely, 
  and 
  some 
  

   fields 
  were 
  only 
  slightly 
  injured. 
  Our 
  small 
  grain 
  was 
  good, 
  notwithstanding. 
  

  

  They 
  left 
  us 
  as 
  soon 
  as 
  they 
  could 
  fly 
  ; 
  but 
  on 
  July 
  17, 
  1874, 
  was 
  our 
  terrible 
  suffer- 
  

   ing. 
  Legions 
  came 
  upon 
  us, 
  destroving 
  our 
  entire 
  crop 
  of 
  corn, 
  potatoes, 
  cabbage, 
  

   and 
  all 
  gardens 
  without 
  excejjtion 
  unless 
  smoked 
  day 
  and 
  night 
  ; 
  some 
  saved 
  their 
  

   cabbages 
  in 
  this 
  way 
  ; 
  everything 
  they 
  could 
  light 
  on 
  was 
  covered 
  ; 
  sheds, 
  trees, 
  and 
  

   the 
  earth 
  could 
  not 
  be 
  seen 
  for 
  them 
  ; 
  even 
  the 
  cottonwoods 
  and 
  soft 
  maples 
  suffered 
  

   considerably, 
  the 
  leaves 
  being 
  eaten 
  off 
  ; 
  they 
  killed 
  several 
  soft 
  maple 
  trees 
  by 
  gnaw- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  bark 
  off 
  ; 
  box 
  elder 
  they 
  did 
  not 
  trouble; 
  on 
  July 
  21, 
  after 
  staying 
  with 
  us 
  

   five 
  days 
  and 
  six 
  nights, 
  they 
  left. 
  I 
  forgot 
  to 
  say 
  they 
  began 
  to 
  light 
  down 
  upon 
  us 
  

   at 
  four 
  o'clock 
  in 
  the 
  afternoon 
  and 
  quit 
  at 
  half 
  past 
  six. 
  When 
  they 
  left, 
  on 
  the 
  

   morning 
  of 
  the 
  21st, 
  the 
  sun 
  was 
  i>artially 
  obscured, 
  so 
  dense 
  was 
  the 
  cloud 
  of 
  'hoppers. 
  

  

  August 
  6, 
  1876. 
  — 
  A 
  day 
  long 
  to 
  be 
  remembered 
  by 
  us. 
  Millions 
  of 
  'hoppers 
  lit 
  down 
  

   upon 
  us, 
  partially 
  destroying 
  our 
  corn, 
  totally 
  destroying 
  oar 
  gardens 
  and 
  potatoes, 
  

   doing 
  immense 
  damage. 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  13th 
  this 
  first 
  flight 
  left 
  for 
  the 
  south. 
  Between 
  the 
  13th 
  and 
  17th 
  two 
  more 
  

   flights 
  lit 
  down, 
  leaving 
  on 
  the 
  18th 
  towards 
  evening, 
  as 
  our 
  vegetation 
  was 
  all 
  gone, 
  

   seeking 
  for 
  something 
  to 
  eat 
  southward. 
  

  

  J. 
  ROCKWILL. 
  

  

  Fremont, 
  May 
  11, 
  1877. 
  

   Question 
  23. 
  Have 
  not 
  had 
  eggs 
  hatch 
  here 
  in 
  fall. 
  In 
  1873 
  the 
  Texas 
  'hopper 
  de- 
  

   posited 
  eggs 
  here 
  in 
  June 
  ; 
  those 
  hatched 
  in 
  about 
  two 
  weeks, 
  I 
  think. 
  

  

  Ogalalla, 
  Keith 
  County, 
  June 
  13, 
  1877. 
  

   Swarms 
  wore 
  observed 
  passing 
  northward 
  over 
  this 
  place 
  on 
  the 
  26th, 
  27th, 
  and 
  

   28th 
  of 
  May. 
  They 
  were 
  flying 
  high, 
  did 
  not 
  appear 
  to 
  be 
  very 
  dense, 
  and 
  I 
  have 
  no 
  

  

  