﻿42 
  REPORT 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  ENTOMOLOGICAL 
  COMMISSION. 
  

  

  soon 
  be 
  eradicated 
  forever 
  from 
  the 
  face 
  of 
  the 
  earth 
  and 
  an 
  end 
  put 
  to 
  

   their 
  ravages. 
  But, 
  taking 
  into 
  consideration 
  the 
  vast 
  numbers 
  of 
  

   these 
  insects 
  in 
  connection 
  with 
  their 
  leading 
  traits, 
  we 
  sometimes 
  lose 
  

   all 
  faith 
  in 
  our 
  ability 
  to 
  ever 
  keep 
  them 
  within 
  bounds. 
  If 
  we 
  could 
  

   prevent 
  their 
  migrations, 
  perhaps 
  we 
  might 
  hope 
  for 
  success; 
  but 
  other- 
  

   wise 
  not. 
  This 
  is 
  the 
  conclusion 
  arrived 
  at 
  by 
  those 
  who 
  have 
  not 
  de- 
  

   voted 
  a 
  lifetime 
  to 
  the 
  study 
  of 
  this 
  and 
  other 
  insects 
  of 
  like 
  nature. 
  

  

  Those, 
  however, 
  who 
  have 
  looked 
  into 
  its 
  minutest 
  traits 
  and 
  fol- 
  

   lowed 
  the 
  insect 
  throughout 
  the 
  various 
  portions 
  of 
  country 
  at 
  times 
  

   visited 
  by 
  its 
  swarms, 
  even 
  hope 
  to 
  be 
  able 
  at 
  some 
  future 
  time 
  to 
  check 
  

   its 
  devastations 
  notwithstanding 
  its 
  migratory 
  nature 
  and 
  its 
  habit 
  of 
  

   withdrawing 
  from 
  the 
  settlements 
  to 
  the 
  vast 
  unsettled 
  plateaus 
  of 
  

   the 
  West 
  and 
  Northwest, 
  where 
  lor 
  a 
  succession 
  of 
  years 
  it 
  goes 
  on 
  

   with 
  its 
  process 
  of 
  multiplying 
  without 
  being 
  disturbed 
  by 
  birds 
  and 
  

   other 
  natural 
  enemies 
  — 
  in 
  fact 
  where 
  everything 
  appears 
  to 
  favor 
  its 
  

   greatest 
  possible 
  increase. 
  They 
  hope 
  to 
  be 
  able 
  to 
  prevent 
  its 
  coming 
  

   into 
  the 
  country 
  known 
  at 
  present 
  as 
  its 
  Temporary 
  Region, 
  or 
  place 
  

   of 
  periodical 
  visits. 
  This 
  can 
  only 
  be 
  done 
  by 
  preventing 
  its 
  abnormal 
  

   increase 
  in 
  its 
  native 
  habitat. 
  Just 
  how 
  this 
  will 
  be 
  accomplished, 
  it 
  

   is 
  difficult 
  at 
  present 
  to 
  state 
  ; 
  but 
  by 
  watching 
  carefully 
  and 
  noting" 
  

   from 
  time 
  to 
  time 
  all 
  the 
  weak 
  points 
  in 
  its 
  habits 
  that 
  present 
  them- 
  

   selves, 
  I 
  am 
  confident 
  that 
  at 
  some 
  time 
  in 
  the 
  future 
  we 
  shall 
  learn 
  the 
  

   true 
  secret 
  of 
  its 
  strength, 
  and 
  thereby 
  be 
  enabled 
  to 
  head 
  it 
  oft'. 
  In 
  

   order 
  to 
  do 
  this, 
  h^Dwever, 
  we 
  must 
  be 
  on 
  the 
  alert 
  and 
  continue 
  to 
  

   study 
  it 
  in 
  its 
  native 
  habitat 
  — 
  gathering 
  all 
  the 
  additional 
  data 
  x)ossi- 
  

   ble 
  in 
  relation 
  to 
  its 
  breeding, 
  habits, 
  movements, 
  enemies, 
  and 
  the 
  

   influence 
  of 
  various 
  agencies 
  upon 
  all 
  these. 
  No 
  other 
  insect 
  that 
  has 
  

   been 
  studied 
  with 
  a 
  view 
  to 
  its 
  dei^truction 
  has 
  so 
  long 
  baffled 
  the 
  

   efforts 
  of 
  experts 
  in 
  their 
  desire 
  to 
  discover 
  some 
  means 
  of 
  reducing 
  its 
  

   numbers 
  as 
  this 
  one 
  has 
  ; 
  and 
  this 
  has 
  been 
  all 
  owing 
  to 
  its 
  general 
  

   modes 
  of 
  life. 
  There 
  is 
  hardly 
  another 
  one 
  but 
  that 
  sooner 
  or 
  later 
  has 
  

   been 
  com])elled 
  to 
  succumb 
  to 
  man's 
  devices. 
  

  

  Tree 
  culture, 
  too, 
  throughout 
  the 
  country 
  would 
  be 
  one 
  step 
  towards 
  

   the 
  final 
  extermination 
  of 
  this 
  insect. 
  By 
  planting 
  groves 
  of 
  trees 
  

   throughout 
  the 
  prairie 
  lands, 
  timber-loving 
  birds 
  would 
  be 
  enticed 
  away 
  

   from 
  their 
  haunts 
  along 
  rivers 
  and 
  smaller 
  water-courses, 
  and 
  thus 
  

   would 
  millions 
  of 
  insects 
  be 
  destroyed 
  that 
  otherwise 
  would 
  propagate 
  

   their 
  kind 
  in 
  numbers 
  sufficiently 
  great 
  to 
  destroy 
  everything 
  green. 
  

   As 
  before 
  intimated, 
  the 
  absence 
  of 
  trees 
  from 
  these 
  vast 
  stretches 
  of 
  

   the 
  West 
  is 
  the 
  i)rinci})al 
  reason 
  for 
  the 
  development 
  of 
  locust 
  swarms, 
  

   and 
  wherever 
  we 
  find 
  a 
  country 
  of 
  like 
  character 
  we 
  find 
  one 
  that 
  pos- 
  

   sesses 
  its 
  hordes 
  of 
  migratory 
  locusts, 
  and 
  that 
  at 
  times 
  sends 
  out 
  its 
  

   swarms 
  into 
  the 
  surrounding 
  fertile 
  districts. 
  

  

  Knowing 
  that, 
  as 
  a 
  rule, 
  every 
  animal, 
  whether 
  vertebrate 
  or 
  inver- 
  

   tebrate, 
  is 
  so 
  constructed 
  as 
  to 
  be 
  able 
  to 
  withstand 
  only 
  a 
  certain 
  amount 
  

   of 
  variation 
  in 
  climate 
  and 
  diet, 
  the 
  question 
  naturally 
  arises 
  whether 
  

  

  