﻿DATA 
  CONCERNING 
  LOCUSTS 
  IN 
  TEXAS. 
  [61] 
  

  

  Uvalde, 
  Tex., 
  November 
  29, 
  1877. 
  

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

  

  Sir: 
  Referring 
  to 
  Circular 
  No. 
  1, 
  United 
  States 
  Entomological 
  Commission, 
  I 
  have 
  

   the 
  honor 
  to 
  report 
  that, 
  owing 
  to 
  no 
  mention 
  in 
  Daily 
  Journal 
  of 
  the 
  Rocky 
  Mountain 
  

   locust, 
  I 
  can 
  answer 
  the 
  interrogatories 
  only 
  in 
  a 
  general 
  way, 
  and 
  from 
  information 
  

   from 
  reliable 
  residents. 
  

  

  This 
  section 
  was 
  visited 
  by 
  small 
  numbers 
  of 
  these 
  insects 
  in 
  the 
  spring 
  and 
  autumn 
  

   of 
  1873 
  and 
  1875, 
  and 
  from 
  October 
  1 
  to 
  15, 
  18G(>; 
  none 
  the 
  present 
  year, 
  1877. 
  They 
  

   come 
  in 
  the 
  fall 
  with 
  the 
  northwest 
  wind, 
  and 
  as 
  soon 
  as 
  hatched 
  in 
  the 
  spring 
  com- 
  

   mence 
  hopping 
  northward, 
  even 
  before 
  fledged. 
  

   The 
  soil 
  in 
  which 
  eggs 
  are 
  most 
  numerously 
  deposited 
  is 
  hard 
  clay 
  and 
  in 
  low 
  location. 
  

   As 
  this 
  is 
  not 
  an 
  agricultural 
  country, 
  very 
  little 
  damage 
  has 
  resulted 
  from 
  their 
  vis- 
  

   itations, 
  and 
  the 
  numbers 
  of 
  "tree-larks" 
  in 
  this 
  county, 
  especially 
  useful 
  in 
  destroy- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  eggs, 
  • 
  ' 
  chaparral 
  fowl," 
  black 
  hawks, 
  and 
  wild 
  turkeys, 
  devourers 
  of 
  the 
  insects, 
  

   prevent 
  any 
  large 
  number 
  arriving 
  at 
  age 
  to 
  migrate 
  in 
  the 
  spring. 
  

   Respectfully, 
  your 
  obedient 
  servant, 
  

  

  WM. 
  NORRINGTON, 
  

   Private, 
  Signal 
  Service, 
  U. 
  S. 
  A. 
  

  

  DATA 
  CONCERNING 
  LOCUSTS 
  IN 
  INDIAN 
  TERRITORY, 
  1877. 
  

  

  Fort 
  Gibson, 
  Ind. 
  T., 
  November 
  20, 
  1877. 
  

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

  

  Sir: 
  I 
  have 
  the 
  honor 
  to 
  forward 
  the 
  following 
  data 
  as 
  called 
  for 
  by 
  Circular 
  No. 
  1, 
  

   United 
  States 
  Entomological 
  Commission 
  : 
  

  

  This 
  vicinity 
  has 
  been 
  free 
  from 
  visits 
  of 
  the 
  Rocky 
  Mountain 
  locust 
  during 
  the 
  

   summer 
  past. 
  

  

  From 
  April 
  13 
  to 
  May 
  1 
  the 
  young 
  were 
  hatching 
  out 
  in 
  great 
  numbers. 
  Probably 
  

   not 
  more 
  than 
  one-eighth 
  of 
  the 
  eggs 
  hatched. 
  

  

  The 
  disappearance 
  of 
  the 
  young 
  locusts 
  and 
  the 
  failure 
  of 
  so 
  large 
  a 
  proportion 
  of 
  

   the 
  eggs 
  to 
  hatch 
  is 
  attributable 
  to 
  the 
  long-continued 
  cold 
  rains 
  occurring 
  shortly 
  

   after 
  the 
  eggs 
  began 
  to 
  hatch. 
  The 
  eggs 
  were 
  deposited 
  in 
  sandy 
  loam. 
  They 
  hatched 
  

   most 
  numerously 
  in 
  the 
  black, 
  sandy 
  loam 
  having 
  a 
  good 
  southerly 
  exposure. 
  No 
  

   young 
  locusts 
  were 
  seen 
  after 
  the 
  14th 
  of 
  May. 
  None 
  of 
  the 
  locusts 
  arrived 
  at 
  maturity, 
  

   neither 
  were 
  any 
  seen 
  off 
  their 
  hatching 
  grounds. 
  

  

  . 
  Large 
  flocks 
  of 
  pewees 
  hovered 
  around 
  the 
  hatching 
  grounds, 
  feeding 
  on 
  the 
  young 
  

   locusts. 
  This 
  was 
  especially 
  the 
  case 
  if 
  near 
  any 
  shelter. 
  

  

  No 
  efforts 
  were 
  made 
  in 
  this 
  vicinity 
  to 
  destroy 
  them. 
  

   Very 
  respectfully, 
  your 
  obedient 
  servant, 
  

  

  GEO. 
  H. 
  CRANE, 
  

   Sergeant, 
  Signal 
  Service, 
  U. 
  S. 
  A. 
  

  

  