﻿DATA 
  CONCERNING 
  LOCUSTS 
  IN 
  TEXAS. 
  [59] 
  

  

  17. 
  No 
  information 
  of 
  any 
  means 
  having 
  been 
  employed 
  to 
  destroy 
  the 
  winged 
  in- 
  

   sects, 
  or 
  to 
  protect 
  crops 
  from 
  their 
  ravages, 
  they 
  having 
  left 
  as 
  soon 
  as 
  their 
  wings 
  

   were 
  developed. 
  

  

  18. 
  No 
  information 
  of 
  any. 
  

  

  19. 
  This 
  immediate 
  vicinity, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  the 
  entire 
  coast 
  country 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  for 
  a 
  

   breadth 
  of 
  from 
  twenty-five 
  to 
  seventy-five 
  miles, 
  has 
  never 
  been 
  visited 
  by 
  the 
  insects. 
  

  

  20. 
  This 
  State 
  was 
  visited 
  in 
  1858. 
  

  

  21. 
  Blackbirds 
  and 
  meadow-larks 
  destroy** 
  large 
  quantities 
  of 
  both 
  the 
  eggs 
  and 
  

   the 
  young 
  insects, 
  but 
  without 
  apparent 
  effect 
  on 
  their 
  numbers. 
  

  

  C. 
  A. 
  SMITH, 
  

   Sergeant 
  Signal 
  Service, 
  XI. 
  S. 
  A. 
  

  

  U. 
  S. 
  Signal 
  Station 
  of 
  Observation, 
  

  

  Eagle 
  Pass, 
  "Texas, 
  July 
  1, 
  1877. 
  

   To 
  the 
  Chief 
  Signal 
  Officer 
  of 
  the 
  Army, 
  Washington, 
  I). 
  C. 
  : 
  

  

  Sir 
  : 
  In 
  obedience 
  to 
  instructions 
  dated 
  Office 
  Chief 
  Signal 
  Officer, 
  Washington, 
  

   D. 
  C, 
  June 
  9, 
  1S77, 
  I 
  immediately 
  upon 
  my 
  arrival 
  at 
  this 
  station 
  began 
  using 
  all 
  

   available 
  means 
  of 
  collecting 
  the 
  information 
  requested 
  by 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  Ento- 
  

  

  mological 
  Commission. 
  

  

  This 
  section 
  being 
  sparsely 
  settled, 
  and 
  only 
  few 
  persons 
  of 
  superior 
  intelligence 
  

   having 
  observed 
  any 
  of 
  the 
  facts 
  in 
  reference 
  to 
  the 
  appearance 
  and 
  habits 
  of 
  the 
  

   "Rocky 
  Mountain 
  locust," 
  I 
  am 
  unable 
  to 
  forward 
  as 
  complete 
  a 
  report 
  as 
  I 
  would 
  

   wish 
  to 
  render, 
  I 
  having 
  only 
  arrived 
  here 
  a 
  short 
  time 
  ago, 
  but 
  all 
  the 
  data 
  collected 
  

   are 
  embodied 
  in 
  the 
  following 
  : 
  

  

  PREVIOUS 
  -SEARS. 
  

  

  In 
  September, 
  1873 
  (no 
  specified 
  date), 
  there 
  appeared 
  at 
  this 
  place, 
  suddenly, 
  im- 
  

   mense 
  swarms 
  of 
  locusts, 
  coming 
  from 
  a 
  northerly 
  direction. 
  The 
  direction 
  of 
  their 
  

   flight 
  followed 
  the 
  Rio 
  Grande 
  River 
  for 
  about 
  30 
  miles 
  in 
  its 
  course 
  to 
  the 
  Gulf. 
  For 
  

   about 
  five 
  days 
  the 
  multitudes 
  kept 
  traveling 
  over 
  this 
  place, 
  descending 
  to 
  the 
  ground 
  

   at 
  sundown, 
  and 
  remaining 
  below 
  until 
  shortly 
  after 
  sunrise 
  the 
  next 
  morning, 
  when 
  

   all 
  would 
  rise 
  in 
  a 
  body 
  and 
  resume 
  their 
  flight. 
  

  

  The 
  weather 
  during 
  this 
  visitation 
  was 
  very 
  dry 
  and 
  sultry, 
  and 
  the 
  prevailing 
  

   wind 
  northerly 
  ; 
  the 
  damage 
  done 
  immense. 
  

  

  These 
  locusts 
  left 
  an 
  immense 
  amount 
  of 
  eggs 
  behind, 
  which 
  at 
  the 
  beginning 
  of 
  

   spring, 
  i. 
  e., 
  the 
  latter 
  part 
  of 
  January 
  in 
  this 
  section, 
  began 
  to 
  hatch. 
  Then 
  it 
  was 
  dis- 
  

   covered 
  that 
  the 
  eggs 
  had 
  been 
  laid 
  over 
  a 
  tract 
  of 
  country 
  nearly 
  2 
  miles 
  wide, 
  having 
  

   the 
  Rio 
  Grande 
  River 
  for 
  its 
  center, 
  and 
  following 
  its 
  course, 
  but 
  to 
  what 
  distance 
  I 
  am 
  

   unable 
  to 
  ascertaiu. 
  The 
  wingless 
  insects 
  were 
  harmless 
  in 
  the 
  early 
  stages 
  of 
  their 
  

   growth, 
  but 
  as 
  their 
  development 
  proceeded 
  the 
  work 
  of 
  devastation 
  began. 
  In 
  the 
  

   first 
  part 
  of 
  May, 
  1874, 
  they 
  began 
  to 
  move, 
  not 
  flying, 
  but 
  crawling. 
  The 
  fact 
  has 
  

   been 
  observed 
  that 
  the 
  movements 
  of 
  these 
  swarms 
  of 
  young 
  locusts 
  were 
  in 
  exactly 
  

   the 
  opposite 
  direction 
  to 
  which 
  their 
  progenitors 
  had 
  traveled. 
  They 
  seemed 
  to 
  re- 
  

   trace 
  the 
  steps 
  of 
  their 
  ancestors. 
  Those 
  hatched 
  on 
  this 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  Rio 
  Grande 
  River 
  

   moved 
  north 
  towards 
  the 
  settlements, 
  and 
  on 
  their 
  way 
  everything 
  in 
  the 
  shape 
  of 
  

   vegetation 
  was 
  totally 
  consumed. 
  Those 
  hatched 
  on 
  the 
  Mexican 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  Rio 
  

   Grande 
  took 
  a 
  direction 
  west 
  of 
  north, 
  and 
  the 
  work 
  of 
  devastation 
  was 
  equally 
  great 
  

   in 
  the 
  parts 
  of 
  Mexico 
  they 
  passed 
  over. 
  I 
  am 
  assured 
  on 
  good 
  authority 
  that, 
  when 
  

   leaving 
  this 
  section, 
  they 
  were 
  too 
  young 
  to 
  fly, 
  and 
  their 
  march 
  was 
  carried 
  on 
  crawl- 
  

   ing 
  and 
  hopping. 
  

  

  Towards 
  the 
  latter 
  part 
  of 
  May, 
  1874, 
  all 
  had 
  left 
  and 
  planting 
  was 
  begun. 
  

  

  Now, 
  these 
  young 
  locusts 
  before 
  leaving 
  had 
  deposited 
  eggs, 
  but 
  the 
  eggs 
  of 
  the 
  

   young 
  ones 
  are 
  not 
  very 
  plentiful 
  and 
  sparsely 
  distributed. 
  The 
  people 
  of 
  this 
  section, 
  

   while 
  this 
  occurs, 
  do 
  not 
  mind 
  it 
  much, 
  as 
  the 
  damage 
  done 
  by 
  this 
  not 
  very 
  numer- 
  

   ous 
  offspring 
  is 
  never 
  considerable. 
  

  

  In 
  September, 
  1875, 
  another 
  large 
  swarm 
  of 
  locusts 
  made 
  its 
  appearance, 
  coming 
  

   from 
  the 
  same 
  direction, 
  i. 
  e., 
  north, 
  but 
  their 
  numbers 
  were 
  not 
  as 
  formidable 
  as 
  those 
  

   of 
  the 
  previous 
  year. 
  These 
  insects 
  deposited 
  their 
  eggs, 
  who 
  were 
  hatched 
  the 
  ensu- 
  

   ing 
  spring, 
  i. 
  e., 
  latter 
  part 
  of 
  January, 
  1876. 
  The 
  numbers 
  of 
  the 
  young 
  ones 
  coming 
  

   forth 
  was 
  comparatively 
  insignificant, 
  and 
  having 
  in 
  their 
  turn 
  deposited 
  their 
  eggs, 
  

   they 
  left 
  about 
  first 
  half 
  of 
  May, 
  1876, 
  in 
  a 
  northerly 
  direction. 
  

  

  1877. 
  

  

  The 
  oaly 
  locusts 
  that 
  appeared 
  in 
  this 
  locality 
  in 
  the 
  present 
  year 
  are 
  those 
  that 
  

   were 
  hatched 
  from 
  the 
  eggs 
  deposited 
  by 
  the 
  insects 
  mentioned 
  as 
  having 
  departed 
  

   from 
  here 
  in 
  May, 
  1876. 
  Their 
  numbers 
  are 
  insignificant, 
  and 
  they 
  are 
  about 
  full 
  

   grown 
  ; 
  they 
  remain 
  in 
  this 
  locality. 
  

  

  