﻿THE 
  ROCKY 
  MOUNTAIN 
  LOCUST 
  IN 
  MONTANA 
  IN 
  1880. 
  11 
  

  

  think 
  that 
  the 
  same 
  difficulties 
  are 
  present 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  greater 
  portion 
  of 
  

   Montana. 
  

  

  August 
  5. 
  — 
  Met 
  and 
  talked 
  with 
  some 
  Flathead 
  Indians 
  about 
  locusts 
  

   in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  Flathead 
  Lake. 
  They 
  left 
  there 
  last 
  fall. 
  They 
  re- 
  

   ported 
  locusts 
  as 
  being 
  quite 
  plentiful, 
  but 
  not 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  kind 
  that 
  

   "flies 
  away." 
  Some 
  were 
  depositing 
  eggs 
  and 
  others 
  flying 
  southwest. 
  

   One 
  of 
  them 
  said 
  that 
  he 
  saw 
  locusts 
  on 
  the 
  Judith 
  nearly 
  every 
  year 
  

   lie 
  was 
  there 
  (since 
  1870). 
  They 
  also 
  ^reported 
  migratory 
  crickets 
  as 
  

   quite 
  numerous 
  in 
  Western 
  Montana 
  and 
  Idaho. 
  I 
  could 
  not 
  ascertain 
  

   anything 
  definite 
  in 
  reference 
  to 
  dates 
  of 
  appearance, 
  direction 
  of 
  flights, 
  

   and 
  which 
  way 
  the^^ 
  came 
  from, 
  but 
  obtained 
  a 
  little 
  additional 
  infor- 
  

   mation 
  in 
  reference 
  to 
  native 
  species, 
  which 
  he 
  said 
  became 
  quite 
  nu- 
  

   merous 
  at 
  times. 
  He 
  also 
  made 
  a 
  drawing 
  of 
  another 
  variety 
  of 
  grass- 
  

   hopper, 
  which 
  he 
  said 
  was 
  not 
  at 
  all 
  numerous. 
  Just 
  what 
  si)ecies 
  he 
  

   refers 
  to 
  I 
  am 
  at 
  a 
  loss 
  to 
  imagine. 
  

  

  Have 
  just 
  called 
  upon 
  the 
  editor 
  of 
  the 
  Avant 
  Courier^ 
  from 
  whom 
  I 
  

   obtained 
  some 
  information 
  in 
  reference 
  to 
  the 
  movements 
  of 
  the 
  locust 
  

   swarms 
  of 
  1867, 
  1868, 
  and 
  1869, 
  and 
  also 
  those 
  of 
  1874, 
  1875, 
  and 
  1878. 
  

   These 
  swarms 
  visited 
  the 
  Gallatin 
  Yalley. 
  

  

  During 
  the 
  latter 
  part 
  of 
  July 
  and 
  early 
  August, 
  1867, 
  immense 
  clouds 
  

   of 
  locusts 
  appeared 
  from 
  the 
  southwest 
  and 
  came 
  into 
  the 
  Gallatin 
  

   Yailey, 
  alighting 
  upon 
  fields 
  of 
  grain, 
  and 
  remained 
  over 
  night 
  doing 
  

   much 
  damage. 
  On 
  entering 
  the 
  valley 
  their 
  course 
  was 
  slightly 
  changed 
  

   toward 
  the 
  east, 
  in 
  which 
  direction 
  they 
  disappeared, 
  with 
  but 
  few 
  ex- 
  

   ceptions, 
  where 
  small 
  numbers 
  were 
  known 
  to 
  remain 
  and 
  leave 
  their 
  

   eggs. 
  Of 
  these 
  few 
  nothing 
  further 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  known, 
  except 
  that 
  in 
  

   the 
  following 
  spring 
  a 
  few 
  small 
  spots 
  were 
  partially 
  denuded 
  by 
  the 
  

   young 
  — 
  all 
  confined 
  to 
  the 
  high 
  lands. 
  The 
  major 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  swarm 
  

   of 
  1867 
  continued 
  its 
  flights 
  eastward 
  and 
  was 
  soon 
  lost 
  sight 
  of, 
  at 
  least 
  

   to 
  the 
  inhabitants 
  of 
  Montana. 
  

  

  Again, 
  in 
  the 
  summer 
  of 
  1868, 
  large 
  swarms 
  came 
  into 
  this 
  valley 
  from 
  

   the 
  same 
  direction, 
  but 
  somewhat 
  later 
  in 
  August. 
  They 
  remained 
  and 
  

   deposited 
  their 
  eggs 
  over 
  the 
  greater 
  part 
  of 
  Gallatin 
  County 
  in 
  suitable 
  

   localities, 
  as 
  hard, 
  sandy 
  hillsides. 
  After 
  they 
  had 
  deposited 
  their 
  eggs 
  

   they 
  died 
  by 
  thousands, 
  which 
  fact 
  appeared 
  very 
  queer 
  to 
  the 
  inhab- 
  

   itants, 
  who 
  were 
  ignorant 
  of 
  their 
  habits, 
  and 
  did 
  not 
  know 
  that 
  the 
  

   locust's 
  mission 
  ended 
  with 
  oviposition. 
  

  

  The 
  lay 
  of 
  this 
  valley 
  is 
  rather 
  peculiar, 
  having 
  once 
  been 
  the 
  bed 
  

   of 
  a 
  lake. 
  On 
  receiving 
  an 
  outlet 
  to 
  the 
  north 
  it 
  gradually 
  washed 
  

   away 
  at 
  that 
  end, 
  thus 
  forming 
  an 
  inclined 
  valley, 
  with 
  a 
  grade 
  of 
  almost 
  

   50 
  feet 
  per 
  mile. 
  Hence 
  the 
  north 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  valley 
  is 
  about 
  two 
  weeks 
  

   earlier 
  than 
  the 
  south 
  end. 
  Early 
  in 
  the 
  following 
  spring 
  those 
  on 
  the 
  

   low 
  lands 
  hatched 
  in 
  great 
  numbers, 
  and 
  took 
  crops 
  clean 
  as 
  they 
  went, 
  

   while 
  farther 
  up 
  the 
  valley 
  the 
  weather 
  was 
  more 
  backward 
  and 
  wet, 
  

   and 
  the 
  damage 
  was 
  much 
  less. 
  These, 
  when 
  they 
  matured 
  and 
  had 
  

   wings, 
  left 
  in 
  various 
  directions, 
  but 
  principally 
  to 
  the 
  east. 
  From 
  

  

  