﻿64 
  EEPORT 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  ENTOMOLOGICAL 
  COMMISSION. 
  

  

  ^^ 
  cricket 
  area" 
  of 
  the 
  West, 
  whence 
  do 
  the 
  great 
  numbers 
  of 
  this 
  in- 
  

   sect 
  come 
  after 
  a 
  series 
  of 
  years 
  in 
  which 
  comparatively 
  few 
  or 
  none 
  have 
  

   been 
  noticed, 
  and 
  some 
  even 
  assert 
  that 
  they 
  only 
  mature 
  after 
  a 
  period 
  

   of 
  seven 
  years 
  or 
  at 
  other 
  definite 
  intervals. 
  Mr. 
  Bowen's 
  idea, 
  how- 
  

   ever, 
  is 
  that 
  they 
  are 
  annual 
  in 
  their 
  generation, 
  and 
  are 
  noticed 
  only 
  

   after 
  a 
  winter 
  favorable 
  to 
  the 
  preservation 
  of 
  their 
  eggs, 
  which 
  are 
  

   mostly 
  destroyed 
  in 
  other 
  years. 
  He 
  thinks 
  that 
  small 
  droves 
  are 
  an- 
  

   nually 
  bred 
  at 
  isolated 
  localities, 
  and 
  spread 
  over 
  a 
  large 
  area 
  to 
  de- 
  

   posit 
  their 
  eggs. 
  In 
  these 
  views 
  I 
  coincide, 
  although 
  I 
  must 
  confess 
  

   that 
  I 
  have 
  had 
  no 
  personal 
  experience 
  with 
  this 
  insect. 
  

  

  A 
  year 
  when 
  crickets 
  were 
  bad 
  in 
  Pleasant 
  Valley, 
  eastern 
  Washing- 
  

   ton 
  Territory, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  in 
  many 
  other 
  localities 
  in 
  this 
  Territory, 
  was 
  

   that 
  of 
  1873. 
  At 
  that 
  time, 
  however, 
  but 
  little 
  farming 
  was 
  carried 
  on 
  

   in 
  this 
  district, 
  and 
  hence 
  the 
  damage 
  occasioned 
  by 
  them 
  was 
  light. 
  

   Again, 
  in 
  1877, 
  some 
  were 
  seen 
  in 
  the 
  neighborhood 
  of 
  Colfax, 
  but 
  these 
  

   did 
  not 
  appear 
  to 
  come 
  in 
  contact 
  with 
  many 
  fields 
  of 
  grain 
  or 
  gardens 
  

   in 
  their 
  marches. 
  Since, 
  and 
  prior 
  to 
  this, 
  small 
  droves 
  have 
  been 
  re- 
  

   ported 
  as 
  having 
  been 
  seen 
  in 
  various 
  portions 
  of 
  this 
  and 
  adjoining 
  

   portions 
  of 
  Oregon 
  and 
  Idaho. 
  

  

  I 
  could 
  supplement 
  this 
  list 
  with 
  many 
  more 
  accounts 
  of 
  the 
  appear- 
  

   ance 
  of 
  this 
  insect, 
  but 
  they 
  are 
  all 
  of 
  a 
  similar 
  character, 
  and 
  hence 
  of 
  

   no 
  particular 
  interest 
  here. 
  

  

  But 
  few 
  parasites 
  are 
  known 
  to 
  affect 
  this 
  cricket. 
  Further 
  investi- 
  

   gations 
  may 
  greatly 
  enlarge 
  the 
  list, 
  however. 
  In 
  the 
  summer 
  of 
  1878 
  

   large 
  numbers 
  of 
  this 
  insect 
  were 
  seen 
  along 
  the 
  Portneuf 
  Eiver. 
  A 
  

   few 
  of 
  these 
  were 
  attacked 
  by 
  red 
  mites 
  much 
  like 
  those 
  infesting 
  the 
  

   migratory 
  and 
  other 
  locusts. 
  These 
  were 
  clinging 
  to 
  them 
  at 
  various 
  

   points, 
  but 
  chiefly 
  about 
  the 
  thorax 
  and 
  rudimentary 
  wings. 
  I 
  do 
  not 
  

   know, 
  but 
  suppose 
  they 
  are 
  the 
  youog 
  of 
  some 
  egg-eating 
  mite 
  — 
  per- 
  

   haps 
  one 
  that 
  attacks 
  the 
  eggs 
  of 
  this 
  and 
  other 
  crickets. 
  I 
  have 
  also 
  

   been 
  told 
  that 
  various 
  ground-beetles 
  and 
  sand-wasps 
  destroy 
  some 
  of 
  

   their 
  young. 
  Hair-worms 
  (Gordius), 
  too, 
  are 
  frequently 
  found 
  wound 
  

   about 
  their 
  intestines. 
  Besides 
  these 
  insect 
  enemies 
  there 
  are 
  numerous 
  

   species 
  of 
  birds 
  that 
  devour 
  great 
  numbers 
  of 
  them. 
  Fishes, 
  too, 
  cap- 
  

   ture 
  large 
  numbers 
  as 
  they 
  cross 
  streams. 
  

  

  This 
  is 
  all 
  that 
  I 
  will 
  mention 
  at 
  present 
  in 
  connection 
  with 
  this 
  in- 
  

   sect, 
  but 
  hope 
  some 
  time 
  in 
  the 
  future 
  to 
  be 
  abla 
  to 
  give 
  its 
  full 
  history. 
  

   Respectfully 
  yours, 
  

  

  LAWEENOE 
  BRUISER. 
  

  

  Prof. 
  0. 
  V. 
  Riley, 
  

  

  United 
  States 
  Entomologist^ 
  

  

  Washington^ 
  i>. 
  0, 
  

  

  