﻿[10] 
  EKPOET 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  ENTOMOLOGICAL 
  COMMISSION. 
  

  

  before 
  that 
  time 
  high 
  up 
  on 
  their 
  regular 
  course. 
  Such 
  immense 
  masses 
  could 
  not 
  de- 
  

   scend 
  each 
  night 
  without 
  literally 
  covering 
  and 
  burying 
  the 
  ground. 
  Does 
  the 
  main 
  

   army 
  continue 
  its 
  march 
  night 
  and 
  day, 
  only 
  dropping 
  a 
  few 
  stragglers 
  as 
  they 
  become 
  

   too 
  weary 
  or 
  hungry 
  to 
  keep 
  up 
  ? 
  

  

  Question 
  1 
  b. 
  August, 
  1868. 
  — 
  On 
  the 
  8th, 
  18th, 
  19th, 
  and 
  20th 
  days 
  of 
  flight 
  the 
  ther- 
  

   mometer 
  rauged 
  from 
  57° 
  to 
  86°. 
  

  

  . 
  July, 
  1875. 
  — 
  From 
  the 
  13th 
  to 
  the 
  22d 
  the 
  maximum 
  temperature 
  was 
  from 
  70 
  to 
  94°, 
  

   the 
  minimum 
  from 
  52° 
  to 
  66°. 
  

  

  June 
  14 
  and 
  16, 
  1876. 
  — 
  (Flight 
  from 
  northeast 
  to 
  north 
  on 
  northerly 
  winds) 
  ; 
  tem- 
  

   perature 
  57° 
  to 
  79°. 
  

  

  August 
  24 
  to 
  28. 
  — 
  Northeast 
  wind 
  ; 
  temperature 
  59° 
  to 
  86°. 
  

  

  August 
  29. 
  — 
  Wind 
  south; 
  immense 
  numbers; 
  temperature 
  74° 
  to 
  86°. 
  

  

  I 
  do 
  not 
  think 
  they 
  rise 
  to 
  join 
  the 
  crowd 
  above. 
  I 
  never 
  knew 
  them 
  to 
  rise 
  unless 
  

   there 
  were 
  swarms 
  passing 
  over 
  at 
  the 
  time, 
  in 
  cloudy 
  weather. 
  Still, 
  when 
  in 
  regu- 
  

   lar 
  flight, 
  I 
  do 
  not 
  think 
  clouds 
  stop 
  them, 
  although 
  it 
  obscures 
  them 
  from 
  view. 
  As 
  

   the 
  sun 
  has 
  appeared 
  through 
  broken 
  clouds 
  I 
  have 
  often 
  seen 
  them 
  passing, 
  while 
  

   when 
  the 
  sun 
  was 
  obscured 
  they 
  were 
  invisible. 
  

  

  Question 
  1 
  a 
  and 
  c. 
  Invariably 
  in 
  the 
  direction 
  of 
  the 
  wind, 
  be 
  its 
  force 
  more 
  or 
  less. 
  

  

  Question 
  1 
  c. 
  By 
  arranging 
  the 
  focal 
  distance 
  of 
  a 
  spy-glass 
  to 
  fit 
  objects 
  at 
  a 
  known 
  

   horizontal 
  distance, 
  and 
  comparison 
  of 
  appearance 
  and 
  size 
  of 
  locusts, 
  I 
  think 
  the 
  

   passing 
  swarms 
  are 
  generally 
  from 
  one-half 
  to 
  one 
  mile 
  high, 
  varying 
  at 
  times, 
  proba- 
  

   bly 
  seeking 
  currents 
  of 
  wind 
  or 
  greater 
  or 
  less 
  velocity. 
  In 
  case 
  of 
  sudden 
  and 
  heavy 
  

   rains, 
  when 
  the 
  air 
  was 
  full 
  of 
  them, 
  none 
  of 
  consequence 
  came 
  down 
  with 
  the 
  rain. 
  

   It 
  seems 
  impossible 
  that 
  they 
  could 
  fly 
  through 
  the 
  storm. 
  Do 
  they 
  rise 
  above 
  it 
  ? 
  In 
  

   heavy 
  swarms 
  my 
  glasses 
  show 
  them 
  as 
  dense 
  as 
  they 
  can 
  move 
  without 
  interference. 
  

   The 
  extent 
  of 
  the 
  swarms 
  it 
  is 
  difficult 
  to 
  ascertain, 
  as 
  the 
  observer 
  can 
  only 
  see 
  a 
  

   small 
  belt. 
  They 
  may 
  extend 
  indefinitely 
  right 
  or 
  left. 
  During 
  the 
  flight 
  from 
  June 
  

   15 
  to 
  25, 
  of 
  1875, 
  I 
  telegraphed 
  east 
  and. 
  west, 
  and 
  found 
  a 
  continuous 
  line 
  moving 
  

   northward 
  of 
  110 
  miles, 
  and 
  then 
  somewhat 
  broken 
  40 
  miles 
  further. 
  The 
  movement 
  

   of 
  the 
  wind 
  for 
  five 
  days 
  (15th 
  to 
  20th) 
  averaged 
  about 
  10 
  miles 
  per 
  hour 
  ; 
  and 
  the 
  lo- 
  

   custs 
  evidently 
  moved 
  considerably 
  faster 
  than 
  the 
  wind, 
  at 
  least 
  15 
  miles 
  per 
  hour. 
  

   The 
  swarm 
  I 
  estimated 
  at 
  from 
  one-quarter 
  to 
  one-half 
  mile 
  deep. 
  It 
  seemed 
  like 
  

   piercing 
  the 
  milky- 
  way 
  of 
  the 
  heavens; 
  my 
  glasses 
  found 
  no 
  limit 
  to 
  them. 
  They 
  

   might 
  have 
  been 
  a 
  mile 
  or 
  more 
  in 
  depth. 
  They 
  were 
  visible 
  from 
  six 
  to 
  seven 
  hours 
  

   each 
  of 
  the 
  successive 
  five 
  days, 
  and 
  I 
  can 
  see 
  no 
  reason 
  to 
  suppose 
  their 
  flight 
  was 
  

   checked 
  during 
  the 
  whole 
  five 
  days. 
  If 
  so, 
  the 
  army 
  in 
  the 
  line 
  of 
  advance 
  would 
  be 
  

   120 
  hours 
  X 
  15 
  miles 
  per 
  hour 
  =1,800 
  miles 
  in 
  length, 
  and 
  say 
  at 
  even 
  110 
  miles 
  in 
  

   width 
  an 
  area 
  of 
  198,000 
  miles 
  ! 
  and 
  then 
  from 
  one-quarter 
  to 
  one-half 
  mile 
  deep. 
  This 
  

   is 
  utterly 
  incredible. 
  Yet 
  how 
  can 
  we 
  put 
  it 
  aside? 
  

  

  Question 
  2. 
  According 
  to 
  all 
  my 
  records 
  and 
  recollections 
  they 
  rise 
  to 
  depart 
  between 
  

   9 
  a. 
  m. 
  and 
  12 
  m., 
  and 
  never 
  unless 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  swarm 
  in 
  motion 
  overhead. 
  

  

  Question 
  2a. 
  June 
  13 
  to 
  15, 
  1868. 
  — 
  Toward 
  northwest 
  on 
  a 
  southeast 
  wind. 
  

  

  June 
  20, 
  1869. 
  — 
  After 
  a 
  four 
  days' 
  southerly 
  wind, 
  they 
  came 
  down 
  largely 
  on 
  a 
  north 
  

   wind. 
  

  

  June 
  13 
  to 
  22, 
  1875.— 
  The 
  air 
  was 
  full 
  of 
  them 
  nearly 
  every 
  day, 
  the 
  wind 
  generally 
  

   from 
  south 
  or 
  southeast. 
  The 
  locusts 
  went 
  with 
  it 
  ; 
  two 
  short 
  changes 
  to 
  northeast 
  

   brought 
  them 
  to 
  the 
  ground. 
  

  

  June 
  24. 
  — 
  During 
  the 
  forenoon 
  the 
  wind 
  was 
  light 
  from 
  the 
  north 
  and 
  locusts 
  came 
  

   with 
  it 
  (a 
  rare 
  case). 
  At 
  noon 
  a 
  full 
  calm 
  and 
  progress 
  stopped. 
  They 
  circled 
  round 
  

   and 
  round, 
  and 
  many 
  came 
  down. 
  

  

  June 
  25 
  to 
  28. 
  — 
  Wind 
  southeast. 
  Locusts 
  went 
  on 
  it 
  to 
  northwest. 
  

  

  July 
  2, 
  1875. 
  — 
  With 
  an 
  east 
  wind 
  flew 
  westward. 
  

  

  July 
  7. 
  — 
  Southeast 
  wind, 
  and 
  to 
  the 
  northwest. 
  

  

  June 
  14 
  and 
  15, 
  1876. 
  — 
  To 
  the 
  southward 
  on 
  northerly 
  winds. 
  

  

  August 
  10. 
  — 
  No 
  wind 
  and 
  no 
  general 
  course. 
  

  

  August 
  24 
  and 
  25. 
  — 
  Northwest 
  and 
  northeast 
  winds 
  brought 
  a 
  few. 
  On 
  the 
  above 
  

   times 
  the 
  wind 
  was 
  generally 
  light, 
  from 
  5 
  to 
  10 
  miles 
  per 
  hour 
  ; 
  the 
  weather 
  fair, 
  of 
  

   course, 
  where 
  the 
  locusts 
  were 
  visible, 
  for 
  they 
  are 
  invisible 
  in 
  cloudy 
  weather. 
  

  

  Question 
  2b. 
  The 
  temperature 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  rising 
  has 
  ranged 
  from 
  70° 
  to 
  90°. 
  Cold 
  

   or 
  cool 
  weather 
  renders 
  them 
  sluggish. 
  

  

  Question 
  2c. 
  The 
  direction 
  always 
  corresponds 
  with 
  the 
  flocks 
  they 
  join, 
  of 
  which 
  I 
  

   have 
  spoken 
  above. 
  I 
  have 
  rarely 
  seen 
  a 
  large 
  number 
  rise 
  at 
  once. 
  The 
  lower 
  air 
  

   will 
  be 
  very 
  full 
  of 
  them, 
  but 
  at 
  least 
  four-fifths 
  of 
  them 
  rise, 
  take 
  long 
  horizontal 
  

   flights, 
  but, 
  seemingly 
  unable 
  to 
  riso, 
  come 
  to 
  the 
  ground 
  again. 
  I 
  presume 
  they 
  have 
  

   to 
  make 
  several 
  efforts 
  before 
  they 
  succeed. 
  

  

  Question 
  3. 
  August 
  24, 
  1876, 
  I 
  first 
  noticed 
  them. 
  

  

  Question 
  7. 
  — 
  A 
  compact 
  earth, 
  as 
  a 
  path 
  or 
  firm, 
  solid, 
  bare 
  ground, 
  with 
  fair 
  expos- 
  

   ure 
  to 
  the 
  sun. 
  It 
  must 
  not 
  be 
  too 
  hard, 
  as 
  the 
  central 
  part 
  of 
  a 
  road 
  or 
  path 
  beat 
  

   very 
  hard. 
  

  

  (jncsiion 
  8. 
  Warm 
  sunny 
  oxposuros, 
  not 
  beaten 
  too 
  hard. 
  

  

  