﻿38 
  REPORT 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  ENTOMOLOGICAL 
  COMMISSION. 
  

  

  Of 
  course, 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  the 
  locust, 
  there 
  are 
  other 
  agencies 
  besides 
  mi- 
  

   gration 
  that 
  tend 
  to 
  such 
  abnormal 
  and 
  alarming 
  increase. 
  The 
  peculiar 
  

   climate 
  and 
  surface 
  configuration 
  of 
  its 
  native 
  habitat 
  are 
  both 
  of 
  such 
  

   a 
  nature 
  as 
  to 
  favor 
  this 
  end. 
  The 
  long 
  stretches 
  of 
  treeless 
  areas, 
  and 
  

   the 
  comparative 
  absence 
  of 
  enemies 
  of 
  all 
  kinds, 
  with 
  the 
  aridity 
  of 
  

   climate, 
  are 
  such 
  as 
  to 
  favor 
  it 
  in 
  the 
  highest 
  degree 
  ; 
  also 
  the 
  absence 
  

   of 
  man's 
  destructive 
  agency. 
  When 
  the 
  numbers 
  become 
  excessively 
  

   great 
  in 
  their 
  native 
  habitat, 
  their 
  desire 
  for 
  moving 
  increases 
  to 
  such 
  

   an 
  extent 
  that 
  they 
  are 
  not 
  satisfied 
  with 
  short 
  journeys 
  — 
  in 
  fact 
  they 
  

   are 
  obliged 
  to 
  take 
  long 
  ones 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  find 
  the 
  necessary 
  amount 
  of 
  

   food 
  which 
  so 
  great 
  an 
  avmj 
  of 
  ravenous 
  locusts 
  requires. 
  It 
  being 
  

   impossible 
  to 
  obtain 
  this 
  short 
  of 
  a 
  climate 
  of 
  such 
  a 
  nature 
  as 
  to 
  pro- 
  

   duce 
  an 
  exuberant 
  growth 
  of 
  vegetation, 
  they 
  necessarily 
  continue 
  to 
  

   drift 
  with 
  the 
  wind 
  until 
  such 
  a 
  region 
  is 
  reached. 
  Since, 
  during 
  thetre 
  

   movements, 
  the 
  prevailing 
  winds 
  are 
  from 
  the 
  northwest 
  and 
  west, 
  the 
  

   swarms 
  must 
  accordingly 
  reach 
  the 
  fertile 
  regions 
  along 
  the 
  Missis- 
  

   sippi 
  Valley, 
  in 
  Dakota, 
  Minnesota, 
  and 
  southward. 
  While 
  here 
  they 
  

   must 
  follow 
  their 
  instinct 
  of 
  continuing 
  their 
  kind, 
  and 
  accordingly 
  de- 
  

   posit 
  their 
  eggs 
  — 
  always 
  choosing 
  such 
  localities 
  for 
  this 
  as 
  most 
  nearly 
  

   resemble 
  the 
  arid 
  region 
  from 
  which 
  they 
  bame. 
  These 
  eggs 
  hatch 
  with 
  

   favoring 
  weather, 
  and 
  produce 
  great 
  numbers 
  of 
  young. 
  Some 
  of 
  these 
  

   as 
  they 
  mature 
  rise 
  into 
  the 
  air 
  and 
  are 
  returned 
  to 
  the 
  arid 
  regions 
  of 
  

   the 
  West 
  and 
  ]N"orthwest 
  by 
  winds 
  prevailing 
  at 
  this 
  time 
  of 
  the 
  year 
  j 
  

   while 
  others 
  are 
  destroyed 
  by 
  various 
  animals, 
  birds, 
  and 
  insects, 
  and 
  

   also 
  by 
  moisture 
  and 
  heat. 
  To 
  prevent 
  these 
  migrations 
  and 
  to 
  destroy 
  

   both 
  old 
  and 
  young 
  while 
  with 
  us 
  in 
  the 
  Temporary 
  Eegion, 
  and 
  also 
  

   in 
  the 
  Permanent 
  one, 
  has 
  been 
  the 
  aim 
  of 
  those 
  who 
  have 
  taken 
  suf- 
  

   ficient 
  interest 
  in 
  the 
  matter 
  to 
  make 
  it 
  a 
  subject 
  of 
  study. 
  Just 
  how 
  

   nearly 
  this 
  object 
  has 
  been 
  attained, 
  I 
  will 
  not 
  sayj 
  but 
  that 
  much 
  has 
  

   been 
  accomplished 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  denying. 
  

  

  Aside 
  from 
  man, 
  and 
  the 
  numerous 
  contrivances 
  which 
  he 
  has 
  per- 
  

   fected 
  with 
  which 
  to 
  destroy 
  this 
  insect 
  in 
  all 
  of 
  its 
  stages, 
  there 
  are 
  

   hundreds 
  of 
  birds, 
  mammals, 
  reptiles, 
  and 
  insects, 
  that 
  spend 
  the 
  greater 
  

   portion 
  of 
  their 
  lives 
  in 
  keeping 
  this 
  locust 
  within 
  bounds, 
  and 
  which 
  

   by 
  their 
  work 
  alone 
  would 
  soon 
  reduce 
  its 
  numbers 
  to 
  a 
  normal 
  con- 
  

   dition, 
  if 
  they 
  could 
  only 
  follow 
  it 
  up, 
  or 
  if 
  it 
  could 
  be 
  kept 
  in 
  one 
  local- 
  

   ity 
  — 
  this 
  locality 
  to 
  be 
  within 
  the 
  confines 
  of 
  the 
  wooded 
  i)ortion 
  of 
  the 
  

   Temporary 
  Eegion. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  not 
  my 
  intention 
  now 
  to 
  enter 
  into 
  a 
  detailed 
  account 
  of 
  all 
  of 
  

   those 
  that 
  I 
  hav^e 
  seen 
  in 
  the 
  act 
  of 
  devouring 
  this 
  and 
  other 
  locusts. 
  

   For 
  such 
  an 
  account 
  I 
  am 
  pleased 
  to 
  be 
  able 
  to 
  refer 
  all 
  who 
  desire 
  to 
  

   study 
  this 
  particular 
  branch 
  of 
  locust 
  literature 
  to 
  Prof. 
  Samuel 
  Augh- 
  

   ey's 
  admirable 
  work, 
  entitled 
  " 
  Nature 
  of 
  the 
  food 
  of 
  Nebraska 
  Birds,'' 
  

   and 
  published 
  in 
  the 
  first 
  report 
  of 
  the 
  Commission. 
  In 
  this 
  essay 
  the 
  

   author 
  cites 
  not 
  less 
  than 
  630 
  cases 
  of 
  dissection 
  of 
  at 
  least 
  90 
  species 
  

   of 
  birds, 
  made 
  by 
  himself 
  during 
  a 
  period 
  of 
  twelve 
  years. 
  These 
  dis- 
  

  

  