﻿GENERAL 
  EEPORT 
  FOR 
  1881. 
  27 
  

  

  arid, 
  and 
  has 
  comparatively 
  few 
  water-courses 
  running 
  through 
  it. 
  But 
  

   little 
  rain 
  falls 
  during 
  summer, 
  and 
  evaporation 
  is 
  great. 
  As 
  we 
  proceed 
  

   northward 
  the 
  stunted 
  bunch 
  grasses 
  become 
  more 
  luxuriant, 
  and 
  the 
  

   climate 
  cooler. 
  The 
  streams 
  that 
  run 
  through 
  this 
  region 
  have 
  their 
  

   fountains 
  in 
  ranges 
  of 
  forest-clad 
  hills 
  and 
  mountains, 
  and, 
  unlike 
  those 
  

   of 
  the 
  Plateau 
  Eegion, 
  wind 
  along 
  broad 
  and 
  fertile 
  valleys 
  that 
  are 
  

   bounded 
  by 
  gentl^^ 
  sloping 
  hills. 
  These 
  valleys 
  are 
  also 
  adorned 
  in 
  

   most 
  places 
  by 
  clumps 
  of 
  willows 
  and 
  other 
  deciduous 
  trees 
  and 
  shrubs 
  j 
  

   and 
  in 
  many 
  of 
  these 
  broad 
  sea-like 
  valleys 
  are 
  to 
  be 
  seen 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  

   most 
  beautiful 
  pictures 
  of 
  the 
  West. 
  

  

  In 
  addition 
  to 
  the 
  three 
  regions 
  above 
  mentioned, 
  there 
  is 
  another 
  

   section 
  that 
  we 
  will 
  call 
  the 
  Basin 
  Eegion. 
  This 
  region 
  is 
  situated 
  be- 
  

   tween 
  the 
  Wasatch 
  Eange 
  on 
  the 
  east, 
  and 
  Sierra 
  iSTevada 
  Eange 
  on 
  

   the 
  west, 
  and 
  is 
  drained 
  by 
  streams 
  running 
  into 
  lakes, 
  of 
  which 
  Great 
  

   Salt 
  Lake 
  is 
  the 
  chief 
  one. 
  This 
  basin 
  region 
  is 
  separated 
  from 
  the 
  

   others 
  by 
  ranges 
  of 
  mountains 
  and 
  high 
  plateaus, 
  and 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  

   fertile 
  portions 
  of 
  the 
  entire 
  Eocky 
  Mountain 
  Eegion. 
  The 
  foot-hills 
  

   and 
  valleys 
  lying 
  to 
  the 
  eastward 
  are 
  decorated 
  with 
  beautiful 
  flowers 
  

   and 
  rich 
  grasses, 
  while 
  to 
  the 
  westward 
  it 
  gradually 
  shades 
  oft* 
  into 
  the 
  

   desert 
  regions. 
  

  

  All 
  the 
  country 
  comprised 
  in 
  the 
  above-described 
  regions 
  is 
  at 
  times 
  

   overrun 
  by 
  swarms 
  of 
  this 
  destructive 
  locust, 
  and 
  possesses 
  such 
  cli- 
  

   matic 
  and 
  other 
  conditions 
  as 
  are 
  best 
  adapted 
  to 
  its 
  life 
  and 
  great 
  in- 
  

   crease. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  quite 
  evident 
  that 
  a 
  country 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  which 
  is 
  so 
  varied 
  

   and 
  extensive 
  must 
  also 
  possess 
  a 
  varied 
  climate, 
  and 
  that 
  this 
  is 
  partly 
  

   true 
  we 
  are 
  aware, 
  at 
  least 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  heat 
  and 
  cold 
  are 
  concerned. 
  But 
  

   we 
  must 
  take 
  into 
  consideration 
  one 
  peculiarity 
  of 
  all 
  this 
  extent 
  of 
  

   country, 
  viz., 
  its 
  aridity. 
  We 
  have 
  arid 
  and 
  high 
  plateaus, 
  arid 
  mount- 
  

   ain 
  valleys, 
  the 
  plains 
  are 
  arid, 
  and 
  an 
  arid 
  interior 
  basin. 
  We 
  are 
  also 
  

   aware 
  that 
  C. 
  spretus 
  thrives 
  equally 
  well 
  in 
  all 
  of 
  these 
  districts 
  where 
  

   the 
  aridity 
  is 
  not 
  too 
  great, 
  and 
  where 
  the 
  annual 
  precipitation 
  does 
  not 
  

   exceed 
  16 
  inches. 
  

  

  Maj. 
  J. 
  W. 
  Powell 
  also 
  describes 
  the 
  lands 
  of 
  this 
  region 
  as 
  those 
  which 
  

   are 
  irrigable, 
  pasture 
  lands, 
  and 
  timber 
  tracts. 
  Besides 
  these 
  there 
  are 
  

   deserts, 
  bad 
  lands, 
  chaparral 
  lands, 
  and 
  lava 
  beds. 
  

  

  Of 
  these 
  various 
  regions, 
  as 
  determined 
  hj 
  surface 
  configuration, 
  the 
  

   irrigable 
  and 
  pasture 
  lands 
  are 
  those 
  chiefly 
  chosen 
  by 
  this 
  insect 
  as 
  breed- 
  

   ing 
  grounds. 
  Hence 
  the 
  area 
  of 
  the 
  Permanent 
  Eegion 
  comprises 
  but 
  a 
  

   small 
  per 
  cent, 
  of 
  the 
  arid 
  regions 
  of 
  the 
  West 
  or 
  of 
  that 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  

   Eocky 
  Mountain 
  system 
  where 
  the 
  annual 
  precipitation 
  is 
  less 
  than 
  20 
  

   inches, 
  and 
  still 
  less 
  when 
  we 
  confine 
  it 
  to 
  the 
  more 
  humid 
  portions 
  of 
  

   these 
  districts 
  as 
  chosen 
  in 
  years 
  of 
  ordinary 
  numbers 
  of 
  this 
  insect. 
  

  

  Major 
  Powell 
  describes 
  these 
  regions 
  as 
  follows: 
  

  

  The 
  irrigable 
  lands 
  aud 
  timber 
  lands 
  constitute 
  but 
  a 
  small 
  fraction 
  of 
  the 
  Arid 
  

   Region. 
  Between 
  the 
  lowlands 
  on 
  the 
  one 
  hand 
  and 
  the 
  highlands 
  on 
  the 
  other 
  is 
  

  

  