SOME AMERICAN GRASSHOPPERS. 



The Grasshoppers are the most com- 

 mon, as well as the best known, popu- 

 larly, of the great branch of insects. 

 They may be seen in every field, in the 

 forest, by the roadside and even in our 

 city yards. In the hot months of Aug- 

 ust the ''song" of the locust may be 

 heard, at which time, we are told by the 

 farmer-naturalist, that ''we shall have a 

 spell of hot weather." 



The best-known Grasshoppers belong 

 to the family Acridiidae, which com- 

 prises the forms with short antennae 

 or "horns." Our illustration shows 

 six of the common Grasshoppers, all 

 inhabiting the northern part of the 

 United States. 



The coral- winged locust (Hippiscus 

 tuherculahis) , is common in the early 

 spring when it appears in considerable 

 numbers. It has been mistaken by 

 farmers for the terrible Rocky Moun- 

 tain locust, and has been called by them 

 the King grasshopper. Hippiscus 

 neglectus is a related species, but is 

 smaller with more pronounced colors. 



A most familiar Grasshopper is the 

 Carolina locust (Dissosteira Carolina), 

 which may be collected abundantly from 

 July to October or November. In the 

 middle of the day the males of this insect 

 may be seen flying in the air, from two 

 to six feet above the ground, where 

 they frequently remain almost station- 

 ary, making a peculiar rustling with 

 their wings. This noise is supposed to 

 be their mating song, as it is more 

 noticeable in late July and early August, 

 the time for mating, than at any other 

 period. The eggs are laid in a rather 

 deep, cylindrical hole during August 

 and September and hatched out in the 

 spring. This locust is particularly nota- 

 ble for the pronounced blackish or 

 brownish color of the lower wings with 

 their yellowish margin. 



One of the most familiar of the 

 smaller Grasshoppers is Arphia tene- 

 brosa, allied to the yellow-winged locust 



(Arphia sulphurea) , but with red instead 

 of yellow wings. 



Among our larger Grasshoppers the 

 one figured with outstretched wings in 

 the center of the plate is perhaps the 

 best known. It is typically a southern 

 locust, but may be seen not infrequently 

 as far north as Minnesota. It is more 

 or less migratory and in some southern 

 sections has been known to do consid- 

 erable damage to the crops. The Grass- 

 hoppers or locusts most dreaded by the 

 agriculturist are the truly migratory 

 species, belonging to the genus Melan- 

 oplus. To this group of insects belong 

 the Rocky Mountain locust (Melano- 

 pliis spretus), and its relative Melano- 

 plus differentials, which is the largest 

 species of the genus living in the north- 

 ern part of the United States. 



Probably no problem has arisen to 

 so vex the agriculturist as the one 

 caused by the depredations of these 

 seemingly insignificant insects; singly 

 they may be sought and killed with 

 comparative ease, but when they appear 

 in clouds numbering millions, man is 

 powerless to prevent their ravages. In 

 such a case, the poor farmer must re- 

 main idle while this plague destroys in 

 a few hours the work of months. 



Only those who have witnessed the 

 visit of a flight of locusts can realize 

 the terrible scene produced by them. 

 Such a scene is graphically portrayed in 

 the third annual report of the Minnesota 

 State Entomologist, the late Prof. Lug- 

 ger: "Insignificant individually, but 

 mighty collectively, locusts fall upon a 

 country like a plague or a blight. The 

 farmer plows and plants. He cultivates 

 in hope, watching his growing grain, in 

 graceful, wave-like motion wafted to 

 and fro by the warm summer winds. 

 The green begins to golden ; the harvest 

 is at hand. Joy lightens his labor as the 

 fruit of past toil is about to be realized. 

 The day breaks with a smiling sun that 

 sends his ripening rays through laden 



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