﻿THE 
  ROCKY 
  MOUNTAIN 
  LOCUST 
  IN 
  MONTANA 
  IN 
  1880. 
  15 
  

  

  section. 
  During 
  the 
  summer 
  of 
  1875 
  it 
  was 
  most 
  numerous 
  and 
  de- 
  

   structive. 
  Am 
  informed 
  tliat 
  this 
  year 
  the 
  crops 
  were 
  nearly 
  all 
  de- 
  

   stroyed, 
  and 
  even 
  about 
  one-half 
  of 
  the 
  hay 
  crop 
  fell 
  a 
  prey 
  to 
  them 
  — 
  

   L 
  e.j 
  the 
  young. 
  They 
  were 
  full 
  fledged 
  by 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  July, 
  and 
  left 
  

   toward 
  the 
  south 
  and 
  southwest. 
  This 
  was 
  true 
  of 
  every 
  succeeding 
  

   season 
  in 
  which 
  there 
  were 
  locusts. 
  They 
  dwindled 
  down, 
  year 
  after 
  

   year, 
  iKitil 
  this 
  year 
  there 
  are 
  not 
  enough 
  of 
  them 
  to 
  procure 
  cabinet 
  

   specimens. 
  They 
  kept 
  coming 
  in 
  from 
  the 
  east 
  and 
  northeast 
  every 
  

   year 
  until 
  1878. 
  This 
  swarm 
  originally 
  came 
  from 
  the 
  Judith 
  and 
  Mus- 
  

   selshell, 
  where 
  they 
  were 
  hatched 
  in 
  the 
  spring 
  of 
  1874, 
  their 
  pro- 
  

   genitors 
  having 
  remained 
  in 
  the 
  last-named 
  country 
  during 
  1871-73 
  

   (Trapper). 
  In 
  the 
  Prickly 
  Pear 
  Yalley 
  no 
  decided 
  steps 
  were 
  ever 
  

   taken 
  to 
  destroy 
  them. 
  Ditches 
  were 
  employed 
  by 
  a 
  few, 
  and 
  portions 
  

   of 
  crops 
  saved, 
  but 
  the 
  majority 
  of 
  fields 
  were 
  forsaken 
  to 
  the 
  enemy. 
  

  

  An 
  old 
  German 
  told 
  me 
  of 
  a 
  method 
  he 
  had 
  used 
  for 
  several 
  days 
  

   to 
  keep 
  off 
  the 
  winged 
  locusts, 
  but 
  which 
  he 
  said 
  was 
  "no 
  good," 
  

   for 
  one 
  morning 
  his 
  grain 
  was 
  all 
  gone. 
  The 
  plan 
  was 
  as 
  follows: 
  Two 
  

   men 
  on 
  horseback 
  rode 
  through 
  the 
  field 
  dragging 
  a 
  rope 
  between 
  them, 
  

   thus 
  starting 
  the 
  locusts 
  flying. 
  

  

  In 
  18G8, 
  at 
  this 
  place 
  (Helena) 
  there 
  were 
  locusts. 
  They 
  came 
  from 
  

   the 
  east 
  (Minnesota, 
  as 
  my 
  informant 
  remarked), 
  and 
  were 
  so 
  numerous 
  

   that, 
  as 
  he 
  claims, 
  while 
  driving 
  oxen 
  he 
  "couldn't 
  see 
  the 
  front 
  yoke." 
  

   Some 
  eggs 
  deposited, 
  but 
  could 
  learn 
  nothing 
  of 
  them 
  the 
  following 
  

   season. 
  

  

  August 
  16. 
  — 
  Last 
  summer, 
  just 
  southeast 
  of 
  Helena, 
  in 
  the 
  foot-hills, 
  

   quite 
  a 
  lot 
  were 
  hatched 
  from 
  eggs 
  left 
  the 
  previous 
  fall 
  (1878). 
  They 
  

   covered 
  an 
  area 
  about 
  3 
  miles 
  in 
  length 
  and 
  between 
  1 
  and 
  2 
  in 
  width. 
  

   The 
  young 
  at 
  first 
  appeared 
  quite 
  lively, 
  but 
  soon 
  became 
  rather 
  torpid, 
  

   the 
  effect 
  of 
  much 
  rain 
  and 
  snow. 
  Large 
  numbers 
  of 
  them 
  died, 
  and 
  

   about 
  the 
  time 
  the 
  remaining 
  few 
  reached 
  the 
  pupa 
  stage 
  a 
  large 
  flock 
  

   of 
  curlews 
  {Numenius 
  longirostris) 
  alighted 
  on 
  the 
  locust 
  area 
  and 
  de- 
  

   stroyed 
  them. 
  

  

  A 
  miner, 
  in 
  speaking 
  of 
  locusts 
  in 
  1874, 
  says 
  they 
  used 
  to 
  congregate 
  

   in 
  great 
  numbers 
  in 
  and 
  about 
  the 
  sluice-boxes 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  gravel 
  heai)S 
  

   during 
  the 
  evenings. 
  By 
  morning 
  they 
  had 
  become 
  so 
  benumbed 
  by 
  

   cold 
  that 
  they 
  could 
  not 
  move. 
  "One 
  morning," 
  said 
  he, 
  "I 
  turned 
  on 
  

   the 
  hose, 
  and 
  in 
  less 
  than 
  twenty 
  minutes 
  had 
  succeeded 
  in 
  lodging, 
  at 
  

   least 
  calculation, 
  twenty 
  bushels 
  of 
  'hoppers 
  in 
  my 
  neighbor's 
  garden." 
  

   They 
  revived 
  with 
  the 
  heat 
  of 
  noonday. 
  

  

  August 
  17. 
  — 
  No 
  migratory 
  locusts 
  between 
  Helena 
  and 
  Fort 
  Shaw. 
  

  

  During 
  the 
  summer 
  of 
  1866 
  there 
  was 
  an 
  invasion 
  at 
  Virginia 
  City 
  from 
  the 
  south. 
  

   Considerable 
  damage 
  was 
  done 
  to 
  those 
  living 
  in 
  the 
  valley, 
  while 
  those 
  living 
  up 
  on 
  

   the 
  foot-hills, 
  closer 
  to 
  the 
  mountains, 
  escaped, 
  the 
  wind 
  carrying 
  the 
  locusts 
  over 
  

   them. 
  — 
  (John 
  E. 
  Drew.) 
  

  

  All 
  the 
  incoming 
  swarms 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  Virginia 
  City 
  come 
  from 
  

   the 
  south 
  and 
  southeast, 
  and 
  all 
  outgoing 
  swarms 
  either 
  take 
  a 
  southerly 
  

  

  