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  REPORT 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  ENTOMOLOGICAL 
  COMMISSION. 
  

  

  true 
  crickets. 
  These 
  insects 
  belong 
  to 
  that 
  large 
  and 
  variable 
  group 
  or 
  

   family 
  of 
  Orthoptera 
  the 
  LocustidWj 
  or 
  katydids 
  and 
  allies, 
  but 
  are 
  

   known 
  as 
  Western 
  Crickets. 
  Of 
  the 
  genus 
  Anabrus 
  there 
  are 
  at 
  least 
  a 
  

   half 
  of 
  a 
  dozen 
  species. 
  One 
  of 
  them, 
  however, 
  has 
  gained 
  for 
  itself 
  a 
  

   name 
  that 
  cannot 
  soon 
  be 
  forgotten 
  by 
  the 
  early 
  settlers 
  of 
  Utah 
  and 
  

   adjoining 
  territories. 
  At 
  times 
  this 
  insect 
  became 
  so 
  numerous 
  that 
  in 
  

   its 
  marches 
  great 
  depredation 
  was 
  done 
  to 
  crops, 
  and 
  the 
  early 
  settlers 
  

   were 
  entirely 
  despoiled 
  of 
  their 
  agricultural 
  i)roducts. 
  Wheat, 
  oats, 
  

   and 
  barley, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  most 
  garden 
  products, 
  were 
  attacked 
  with 
  the 
  

   utmost 
  avidity, 
  and 
  when 
  once 
  in 
  a 
  held 
  or 
  garden 
  this 
  insect 
  would 
  

   not 
  leave 
  without 
  having 
  first 
  eaten 
  everything 
  — 
  the 
  weeds 
  even 
  beings 
  

   included 
  among 
  the 
  rest, 
  and 
  in 
  many 
  cases 
  devoured 
  close 
  to 
  the 
  

   ground. 
  

  

  This 
  insect 
  is 
  known 
  popularly 
  as 
  the 
  Cricket, 
  the 
  Western 
  Cricket, 
  

   Buffalo 
  Cricket, 
  &c., 
  and 
  scientifically 
  as 
  Anahrus 
  simjylex. 
  Its 
  distribu- 
  

   tion 
  appears 
  to 
  be 
  coincident 
  with 
  that 
  of 
  C. 
  sprettis 
  west 
  of 
  the 
  main 
  

   divide 
  of 
  the 
  Eocky 
  Mountains, 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  confined 
  to 
  the 
  more 
  elevated 
  

   sage 
  wastes 
  and 
  mountain 
  valleys, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  the 
  open 
  slopes 
  high 
  up 
  

   the 
  mountain 
  sides. 
  In 
  fact, 
  as 
  a 
  rule, 
  it 
  keeps 
  up 
  among 
  the 
  mount- 
  

   ains, 
  and 
  only 
  occasionally 
  comes 
  down 
  into 
  the 
  valleys 
  on 
  marauding 
  

   expeditions. 
  

  

  The 
  cricket, 
  like 
  the 
  locust, 
  was 
  not 
  known 
  until 
  emigrants 
  and 
  gold- 
  

   seekers 
  began 
  to 
  cross 
  the 
  continent, 
  and 
  ihen 
  Only 
  was 
  it 
  heard 
  ©f 
  as 
  

   having 
  been 
  seen 
  m 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  Great 
  Salt 
  Lake 
  and 
  along 
  the 
  old 
  

   Military 
  Road. 
  Since 
  the 
  locust 
  question 
  came 
  up, 
  however, 
  its 
  known 
  

   range 
  has 
  greatly 
  increased, 
  and 
  now 
  we 
  are 
  aware 
  of 
  its 
  existence 
  as 
  far 
  

   north 
  and 
  west 
  as 
  Pend 
  d'Oreille 
  Lake 
  and 
  the 
  eastern 
  half 
  of 
  W^ashing- 
  

   ton 
  Territory. 
  Oregon 
  too, 
  occasionally, 
  is 
  reported 
  as 
  having 
  its 
  share 
  

   of 
  vast 
  herds 
  of 
  crickets, 
  while 
  Kevada 
  is 
  occasionally 
  visited 
  by 
  them. 
  

   In 
  Utah 
  they 
  occasionally 
  appear 
  as 
  far 
  south 
  as 
  Mount 
  Nebo. 
  They 
  

   travel 
  in 
  droves 
  or 
  herds, 
  which 
  come 
  marching 
  along 
  over 
  the 
  country 
  

   like 
  an 
  army 
  intent 
  upon 
  razing 
  to 
  the 
  ground 
  everything 
  that 
  lies 
  in 
  

   its 
  line 
  of 
  march. 
  These 
  arjuies 
  vary 
  greatly 
  in 
  size 
  and 
  in 
  their 
  tac- 
  

   tics 
  while 
  on 
  the 
  move. 
  As 
  a 
  rule 
  they 
  collect 
  into 
  lines 
  varying 
  from 
  

   a 
  few 
  to 
  hundreds 
  of 
  yards 
  in 
  width, 
  and 
  from 
  a 
  few 
  hundred 
  feet 
  to 
  a 
  

   mile 
  or 
  more 
  in 
  length. 
  When 
  they 
  are 
  ready 
  to 
  move, 
  a 
  few 
  of 
  them 
  

   start 
  off 
  in 
  the 
  direction 
  in 
  which 
  they 
  intend 
  ^o 
  go, 
  and 
  are 
  ibllowed 
  

   by 
  others, 
  and 
  these 
  again 
  by 
  still 
  others 
  — 
  all 
  taking 
  the 
  same 
  route^ 
  

   and 
  thereby 
  exhibiting 
  the 
  leading 
  character 
  in 
  the 
  moving 
  or 
  migrat- 
  

   ing 
  of 
  wingless 
  insects. 
  Ants 
  and 
  termites 
  also 
  possess 
  this 
  peculiar 
  

   habit, 
  as 
  do 
  several 
  species 
  of 
  crustaceans 
  that 
  at 
  times 
  are 
  in 
  the 
  habit 
  

   of 
  changing 
  their 
  abodes 
  or 
  of 
  traveling 
  in 
  search 
  of 
  food. 
  

  

  The 
  natural 
  history 
  and 
  habits 
  of 
  this 
  cricket 
  are 
  but 
  little 
  known 
  as 
  

   yet, 
  since 
  their 
  usual 
  haunts 
  and 
  breeding 
  grounds 
  lie 
  far 
  up 
  in 
  the 
  

   mountains 
  and 
  out 
  among 
  the 
  sage 
  wastes 
  of 
  the 
  foot 
  hills. 
  Here 
  it 
  is 
  

   that 
  they 
  generally 
  pass 
  their 
  lives 
  and 
  propagate 
  their 
  kind 
  year 
  after 
  

  

  