﻿34 
  KEPORT 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  ENTOMOLOGICAL 
  COMMISSION. 
  

  

  fields, 
  in 
  tlie 
  Permanent 
  Region 
  tliey 
  are 
  deposited 
  throughout 
  this 
  region 
  

   wherever 
  there 
  is 
  sufficient 
  grass 
  for 
  the 
  young 
  toliv^eupon. 
  The 
  grasses, 
  

   too, 
  of 
  these 
  widely 
  separated 
  districts 
  vary 
  much 
  in 
  their 
  nutritive 
  proj)- 
  

   erties. 
  Those 
  of 
  the 
  permanent 
  home 
  are 
  the 
  best 
  in 
  the 
  eyes 
  of 
  this 
  

   gastronome 
  of 
  an 
  insect, 
  and 
  stand 
  parallel 
  with 
  the 
  various 
  grains 
  of 
  

   the 
  same 
  localities 
  during 
  early 
  spring. 
  Our 
  grasses 
  on 
  the 
  contrary 
  are 
  

   not 
  touched 
  when 
  wheat 
  fields 
  and 
  other 
  cultivated 
  plants 
  can 
  be 
  ob- 
  

   tained. 
  Even 
  the 
  weeds 
  growing 
  in 
  fields 
  are 
  more 
  acceptable 
  than 
  

   i;hose 
  on 
  the 
  prairie. 
  When 
  a 
  swarm 
  alights 
  in 
  this 
  region 
  for 
  the 
  pur- 
  

   pose 
  of 
  depositing 
  eggs 
  it 
  betakes 
  itself 
  to 
  the 
  foot-hills 
  adjoiuing 
  val- 
  

   ileys 
  where 
  food 
  is 
  plentiful, 
  or 
  to 
  the 
  mountains 
  just 
  below 
  timber. 
  Here 
  

   the 
  locusts 
  often 
  accumulate 
  in 
  such 
  vast 
  numbers 
  as 
  to 
  entirely 
  cover 
  

   the 
  ground 
  while 
  at 
  their 
  work 
  of 
  perpetuating 
  their 
  kind. 
  In 
  speak- 
  

   ing 
  with 
  a 
  gentleman 
  who 
  spent 
  the 
  greater 
  part 
  of 
  seven 
  years 
  in 
  the 
  

   northern 
  and 
  central 
  portions 
  of 
  Wyoming, 
  I 
  was 
  informed 
  that 
  during 
  

   the 
  summers 
  of 
  1875 
  and 
  1876 
  at 
  times 
  these 
  locusts 
  were 
  so 
  numerous 
  

   as 
  to 
  be 
  piled 
  up 
  in 
  windrows 
  for 
  miles 
  in 
  length 
  and 
  frequently 
  six 
  inches 
  

   in 
  depth. 
  These 
  were 
  both 
  old 
  and 
  young. 
  They 
  hatched 
  on 
  the 
  foot- 
  

   hills 
  and 
  ate 
  the 
  grasses 
  clean. 
  He 
  said 
  that 
  ^' 
  while 
  the 
  greater 
  portion 
  

   of 
  this 
  Permanent 
  Eegion 
  offers 
  favorable 
  situations 
  for 
  the 
  deposition 
  of 
  

   their 
  eggs, 
  they 
  are 
  more 
  partial 
  to 
  fertile 
  valleys, 
  sunny 
  hillsides, 
  and 
  

   grassy 
  plats 
  near 
  timber 
  line 
  where 
  there 
  is 
  always 
  plenty 
  of 
  succulent 
  

   vegetation 
  to 
  be 
  had." 
  While 
  the 
  humid 
  atmosphere 
  of 
  the 
  Temporary 
  

   Eegion 
  is 
  detrimental 
  to 
  its 
  continued 
  existence, 
  the 
  insect 
  still 
  requires 
  

   a 
  certain 
  amount 
  of 
  moisture 
  for 
  its 
  development 
  in 
  great 
  numbers, 
  hence 
  

   it 
  is 
  that 
  that 
  large 
  district, 
  lying 
  for 
  the 
  most 
  part 
  just 
  below 
  timber 
  line 
  

   on 
  the 
  extensive 
  plateaus 
  of 
  the 
  Northwest, 
  is 
  so 
  well 
  adapted 
  to 
  their 
  

   increase. 
  These 
  sections, 
  too, 
  afford 
  vast 
  areas 
  suitable 
  for 
  the 
  deposi'' 
  

   tion 
  of 
  their 
  eggs, 
  and 
  afterwards 
  for 
  the 
  development 
  of 
  the 
  young. 
  

  

  Eggs 
  are 
  deposited 
  at 
  intervals 
  during 
  the 
  months 
  of 
  June, 
  July, 
  Au- 
  

   gust, 
  September^ 
  and 
  October, 
  by 
  insects 
  maturing 
  in 
  different 
  latitudes 
  

   and 
  at 
  different 
  times. 
  The 
  majority 
  of 
  them, 
  however, 
  are 
  laid 
  during 
  

   the 
  months 
  of 
  August 
  and 
  September; 
  otherwise, 
  if 
  the 
  fall 
  should 
  

   prove 
  too 
  warm 
  and 
  the 
  winter 
  late 
  in 
  commencing, 
  many 
  of 
  them 
  would 
  

   hatch 
  and 
  die 
  from 
  cold 
  and 
  starvation. 
  

  

  Eggs 
  laid 
  in 
  June 
  often 
  hatch 
  by 
  July 
  and 
  the 
  locusts 
  become 
  fully 
  

   developed 
  in 
  time 
  to 
  deposit 
  before 
  cold 
  weather 
  sets 
  in 
  too 
  severely, 
  while 
  

   those 
  hatching 
  later 
  very 
  seldom 
  deposit 
  unless 
  the 
  fall 
  is 
  very 
  favor- 
  

   able. 
  Some 
  eggs, 
  too, 
  very 
  likely 
  lie 
  over 
  one 
  whole 
  year 
  before 
  hatch- 
  

   ing. 
  

  

  Whether 
  or 
  not 
  locust 
  eggs 
  would 
  hatch 
  after 
  having 
  laid 
  more 
  than 
  

   a 
  year, 
  I 
  am 
  unable 
  to 
  say, 
  as 
  personally 
  I 
  have 
  seen 
  nothing 
  of 
  the 
  

   kind, 
  nor 
  have 
  I 
  ever 
  seen 
  a 
  substantiated 
  account 
  of 
  any 
  such 
  occur- 
  

   rence 
  in 
  works 
  on 
  locust 
  literature. 
  It 
  is, 
  however, 
  averred 
  b.y 
  several 
  

   farmers 
  living 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  Missoula, 
  Montana, 
  that 
  in 
  the 
  fall 
  of 
  

   1875 
  a 
  great 
  many 
  eggs 
  were 
  deposited 
  throughout 
  the 
  valley. 
  Some 
  

  

  