﻿1877. 
  [9] 
  

  

  knowledge 
  of 
  their 
  extent. 
  They 
  were 
  going 
  with 
  a 
  light 
  wind 
  from 
  thesontb, 
  mov- 
  

   ing 
  northward 
  varying 
  Blightly 
  to 
  the 
  westward: 
  weather 
  moderately 
  warm 
  and 
  

   nearly 
  clear; 
  wore 
  passing 
  or 
  noticed 
  from 
  9 
  a. 
  m. 
  to 
  3 
  p. 
  m. 
  

  

  The 
  large 
  swarms 
  have 
  never 
  stopped 
  long 
  in 
  this 
  section, 
  there 
  being 
  no 
  farming 
  

   done 
  here. 
  They 
  do 
  not 
  appear 
  to 
  do 
  much 
  harm 
  to 
  the 
  grass. 
  

  

  W. 
  P. 
  P. 
  ST. 
  CLAIR. 
  

  

  Albion, 
  Boone 
  Count 
  v, 
  May 
  17, 
  1-77. 
  

   We 
  have 
  been 
  visited 
  by 
  the 
  dying 
  locusts 
  lour 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  live 
  last 
  years, 
  yet 
  in 
  one 
  

  

  of 
  the 
  four 
  years 
  very 
  little 
  damage 
  was 
  done 
  to 
  crops. 
  In 
  1-7 
  1 
  they 
  wen- 
  dying 
  in 
  a 
  

   southerly 
  direction, 
  commencing 
  their 
  ravages 
  here 
  about 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  July 
  j 
  com 
  

   crop 
  entirely 
  destroyed, 
  and 
  small 
  grain 
  about 
  half. 
  The 
  following 
  fall 
  Southeastern 
  

  

  Nebraska.. 
  Southwestern 
  Iowa, 
  Missouri, 
  and 
  Kansas 
  were 
  literally 
  tilled 
  with 
  i 
  

   The 
  next 
  year 
  (1875) 
  they 
  were 
  dying 
  in 
  the 
  opposite 
  direction, 
  towards 
  the 
  north. 
  

   In 
  1876 
  it 
  was 
  again 
  reversed, 
  and 
  they 
  returned 
  south, 
  entirely 
  destroying 
  the 
  corn 
  

   crop, 
  hut 
  Avert 
  1 
  too 
  late 
  to 
  do 
  much 
  harm 
  to 
  other 
  grain; 
  gardens, 
  however, 
  were 
  de- 
  

   stroyed. 
  Commenced 
  flying 
  about 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  August. 
  

  

  My 
  observations 
  of 
  their 
  movements 
  and 
  habits 
  in 
  the 
  year 
  I 
  have 
  named 
  have 
  led 
  

   me 
  to 
  the 
  following 
  conclusions 
  : 
  

  

  First. 
  That 
  they 
  fly 
  north 
  and 
  south 
  (or 
  nearly 
  in 
  that 
  direction) 
  in 
  alternate 
  years 
  

   over 
  this 
  section 
  of 
  country. 
  

  

  Secondly. 
  That 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  particular 
  time 
  of 
  day 
  in 
  which 
  they 
  alight 
  or 
  rise, 
  de- 
  

   pending 
  entirely 
  and 
  absolutely 
  on 
  the 
  course 
  of 
  the 
  wind, 
  either 
  favorable 
  or 
  unfa- 
  

   vorable 
  for 
  the 
  course 
  in 
  which 
  they 
  are 
  moving. 
  I 
  have 
  seen 
  fields 
  literally 
  covered 
  

   with 
  them 
  in 
  almost 
  all 
  kinds 
  of 
  weather, 
  clear, 
  cloudy, 
  and 
  rainy. 
  

  

  I 
  have 
  seen 
  them 
  dying 
  very 
  thick 
  just 
  before 
  a 
  heavy 
  shower 
  and 
  immediately 
  after 
  

   it, 
  and 
  yet 
  did 
  not 
  come 
  down, 
  which 
  has 
  suggested 
  the 
  idea 
  that 
  they 
  may 
  rise 
  above 
  

   the 
  rain 
  during 
  that 
  time. 
  If 
  not. 
  they 
  certainly 
  must 
  fly 
  through 
  it. 
  

  

  Again, 
  during 
  the 
  season 
  of 
  their 
  migration, 
  either 
  north 
  or 
  south, 
  the 
  wind 
  blows 
  

   from 
  the 
  south, 
  or 
  say 
  from 
  between 
  the 
  points, 
  southeast 
  and 
  southwest. 
  

  

  In 
  1874 
  and 
  1676 
  they 
  were 
  moving 
  from 
  north 
  to 
  south 
  (and 
  only 
  move 
  with 
  favor- 
  

   ble 
  winds), 
  destroying 
  our 
  crops 
  each 
  year, 
  in 
  consequence 
  of 
  the 
  almost 
  continual 
  

   south 
  wind 
  detaining 
  them 
  sometimes 
  a 
  week 
  at 
  a 
  time. 
  

  

  In 
  1875 
  they 
  were 
  fully 
  as 
  numerous, 
  and 
  commenced 
  their 
  ravages 
  fully 
  as 
  often 
  as 
  

   in 
  either 
  of 
  the 
  other 
  years 
  I 
  have 
  mentioned, 
  yet 
  the 
  wind 
  being 
  favorable 
  nearly 
  all 
  

   the 
  time 
  for 
  flight 
  in 
  the 
  direction 
  they 
  were 
  pursuing, 
  their 
  stay 
  was 
  very 
  short 
  at 
  

   all 
  times 
  during 
  the 
  season. 
  

  

  I 
  have 
  never" 
  known 
  them 
  to 
  alight 
  while 
  a 
  favorable 
  wind 
  was 
  blowing, 
  neither 
  

   have 
  I 
  ever 
  known 
  them 
  to 
  remain 
  an 
  hour 
  after 
  a 
  favorable 
  wind 
  commenced 
  blowing. 
  

  

  I 
  do 
  not 
  wish 
  to 
  be 
  understood 
  to 
  mean 
  that 
  they 
  are 
  confined 
  to 
  a 
  particular 
  or 
  exact 
  

   point 
  of 
  compass, 
  but 
  that, 
  when 
  they 
  are 
  going 
  south, 
  it 
  may 
  range 
  from 
  southeast 
  

   to 
  southwest. 
  

  

  LOR 
  AX 
  CLAEK. 
  

  

  Platts. 
  mouth, 
  Cass 
  County, 
  June 
  7, 
  1-77. 
  

  

  Question 
  1. 
  July 
  2, 
  1367. 
  — 
  General 
  southerly 
  to 
  northerly 
  direction 
  on 
  gentle 
  breeze 
  

   (Signal-Office 
  nomenclature 
  of 
  winds) 
  from 
  south. 
  First 
  noticed 
  about 
  9 
  a. 
  m., 
  con- 
  

   tinued 
  on 
  the 
  3d 
  in 
  a 
  heavy 
  body, 
  as 
  also 
  on 
  the 
  4th 
  till 
  3 
  p. 
  m., 
  when 
  a 
  heavy 
  rain 
  of 
  

   1.60 
  inches 
  in 
  1£ 
  hours 
  obscured 
  (?) 
  them. 
  A 
  very 
  few 
  were 
  found 
  on 
  the 
  ground 
  after 
  

   the 
  storm, 
  hut 
  not 
  .0001 
  of 
  what 
  were 
  seen 
  before 
  the 
  clouds 
  obscured 
  them. 
  What 
  

   became 
  of 
  them 
  ? 
  Frequent 
  observations 
  since 
  have 
  shown 
  that 
  when 
  living 
  with 
  a 
  

   wind 
  which 
  brings 
  a 
  storm 
  they 
  simply 
  disappear 
  from 
  view 
  as 
  the 
  clouds 
  obscure 
  the 
  

   sky. 
  But 
  if 
  a 
  wind 
  reverse 
  to 
  their 
  course 
  meets 
  them 
  they 
  come 
  down 
  in 
  large 
  num- 
  

   bers. 
  The 
  '2d, 
  3d, 
  and 
  4th, 
  up 
  to 
  3 
  p. 
  m., 
  were 
  nearly 
  or 
  quite 
  clear, 
  and 
  wind 
  con- 
  

   tinued 
  southerly. 
  

  

  August 
  8, 
  10, 
  and 
  11, 
  1868. 
  — 
  Each 
  day 
  much 
  the 
  same, 
  calm 
  and 
  but 
  few 
  clouds 
  in 
  

   the 
  forenoon, 
  and 
  immense 
  swarms 
  passing 
  from 
  south 
  to 
  north, 
  but 
  each 
  day 
  from 
  1 
  

   to 
  3 
  p. 
  m. 
  a 
  northwesterly 
  to 
  northerly 
  wind 
  from 
  strong 
  to 
  fresh 
  brought 
  them 
  down 
  

   like 
  a 
  hail-storm. 
  

  

  Many 
  memorandums 
  were 
  made 
  of 
  flights 
  and 
  arrivals 
  from 
  1>68 
  to 
  1875, 
  too 
  lengthy 
  

   to 
  copy, 
  but 
  all 
  to 
  this 
  general 
  effect. 
  They 
  were 
  invisible 
  when 
  passing 
  overhead 
  

   till 
  near 
  9 
  o'clock 
  a. 
  m., 
  or 
  in 
  the 
  afternoon 
  much 
  after 
  3 
  p. 
  m. 
  They 
  must 
  be 
  nearly 
  

   in 
  a 
  line 
  with 
  the 
  sun 
  to 
  be 
  visible, 
  and 
  the 
  sun 
  falling 
  below 
  this 
  angle 
  of 
  some 
  45°, 
  

   leaving 
  untold 
  myriads 
  of 
  them 
  in 
  the 
  air. 
  Yet 
  I 
  never 
  knew 
  them 
  to 
  come 
  down 
  

   after 
  that 
  time, 
  unless 
  driven 
  down 
  by 
  an 
  opposing 
  wind. 
  Again, 
  in 
  June, 
  1875, 
  from 
  

   the 
  13th 
  to 
  the 
  '24th, 
  on 
  every 
  day, 
  if 
  the 
  sun 
  shone 
  out, 
  they 
  were 
  passing 
  over, 
  but 
  

   none 
  were 
  seen 
  descending 
  at 
  night. 
  The 
  locusts 
  rarely 
  move 
  much 
  in 
  the 
  morning, 
  

   till 
  the 
  sun 
  warms 
  up 
  the 
  air 
  as 
  also 
  the 
  locust, 
  and 
  I 
  have 
  no 
  record 
  or 
  recollection 
  

   of 
  their 
  rising 
  tdl 
  from 
  a. 
  m. 
  to 
  11. 
  a. 
  m., 
  yet 
  the 
  mass 
  above 
  would 
  be 
  seen 
  by 
  or 
  

  

  