﻿REPORT 
  OF 
  JOHN 
  MARTEN 
  ON 
  CALOPTENUS. 
  [51] 
  

  

  For 
  information 
  and 
  assistance 
  while 
  in 
  Jamestown 
  I 
  am 
  indebted 
  

   principally 
  to 
  Mr. 
  A. 
  W. 
  Kelley, 
  the 
  postmaster. 
  

  

  Locusts 
  first 
  visited 
  this 
  section, 
  to 
  his 
  knowledge, 
  in 
  1869, 
  at 
  Fort 
  

   Totten, 
  some 
  eighty 
  miles 
  north 
  of 
  Jamestown, 
  he 
  having 
  previousl^^, 
  in 
  

   1864, 
  seen 
  them 
  at 
  the 
  old 
  Yellow 
  Medicine 
  Agency. 
  During 
  every 
  year 
  

   from 
  1869 
  to 
  1876, 
  inclusive, 
  locusts 
  occurred 
  in 
  greater 
  or 
  less 
  numbers, 
  

   and 
  eggs 
  were 
  deposited 
  at 
  various 
  places 
  along 
  the 
  valley 
  of 
  the 
  James 
  

   Eiver. 
  The 
  locusts 
  in 
  depositing 
  their 
  eggs 
  generally 
  selected 
  a 
  sandy, 
  

   rather 
  compact 
  soil, 
  choosing 
  the 
  low 
  ground 
  next 
  the 
  river 
  rather 
  than 
  

   the 
  more 
  elevated 
  prairie, 
  even 
  where 
  the 
  higher 
  ground 
  was 
  but 
  a 
  short 
  

   distance 
  from 
  the 
  river. 
  

  

  Of 
  the 
  swarms 
  stopping 
  here 
  the 
  greater 
  number 
  came 
  from 
  the 
  north, 
  

   some 
  coming 
  from 
  the 
  northwest. 
  They 
  departed 
  towards 
  the 
  south, 
  

   southeast, 
  and 
  the 
  southwest, 
  though 
  in 
  1876 
  and 
  once 
  previously 
  they 
  

   were 
  noticed 
  flying 
  toward 
  the 
  northwest. 
  

  

  In 
  July, 
  1879, 
  they 
  were 
  flying 
  over 
  Jamestown 
  toward 
  the 
  southeast. 
  

   Among 
  the 
  things 
  attacked 
  by 
  them 
  were 
  wheat 
  and 
  all 
  other 
  grains, 
  

   onions, 
  cabbage, 
  potatoes, 
  &c. 
  Tomatoes 
  were 
  among 
  the 
  last 
  things 
  

   eaten, 
  while 
  pease 
  escaped 
  almost 
  entirely. 
  In 
  1879, 
  June, 
  just 
  across 
  

   the 
  river 
  from 
  Jamestown, 
  about 
  one 
  acre 
  of 
  beans 
  were 
  destroyed 
  by 
  

   young 
  locusts 
  that 
  had 
  hatched 
  in 
  that 
  place. 
  This 
  is 
  the 
  only 
  instance 
  

   of 
  note 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  young 
  locusts 
  have 
  appeared 
  in 
  any 
  considerable 
  

   numbers 
  and 
  have 
  done 
  damage 
  during 
  the 
  past 
  two 
  years 
  in 
  this 
  por- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  the 
  James 
  Talley. 
  The 
  swarm 
  was 
  so 
  small 
  that 
  it 
  departed 
  un- 
  

   noticed. 
  

  

  My 
  collection 
  taken 
  here 
  included 
  numerous 
  specimens 
  of 
  C. 
  sjjretiis 
  

   and 
  other 
  grasshoppers; 
  lepidoptera, 
  neuroptera, 
  diptera 
  and 
  coleo- 
  

   ptera 
  were 
  also 
  taken 
  in 
  limited 
  li 
  umbers. 
  The 
  lepidoptera 
  were 
  abun- 
  

   dant 
  along 
  the 
  river, 
  but 
  were 
  comparatively 
  poor 
  in 
  number 
  of 
  species. 
  

  

  While 
  at 
  Jamestow^n 
  a 
  rumor 
  was 
  in 
  circulation 
  that 
  locusts 
  had 
  at- 
  

   tacked 
  Steele's 
  farm, 
  about 
  60 
  miles 
  west 
  of 
  there, 
  and 
  were 
  destroying 
  

   the 
  wheat, 
  but 
  upon 
  arrival 
  there 
  I 
  found 
  it 
  was 
  a 
  false 
  alarm, 
  and 
  

   though 
  the 
  locusts 
  were 
  rather 
  plentiful 
  they 
  were 
  not 
  doing 
  damage 
  

   enou.ah 
  to 
  be 
  noticed, 
  and 
  none 
  had 
  been 
  seen 
  moving 
  in 
  swarms. 
  

  

  July 
  13. 
  — 
  I 
  arrived 
  in 
  Bismarck 
  late 
  in 
  the 
  evening. 
  On 
  the 
  14th 
  I 
  

   learned 
  that 
  no 
  locusts 
  had 
  been 
  seen 
  in 
  that 
  vicinity, 
  and 
  no 
  damage 
  

   had 
  been 
  reported 
  by 
  farmers 
  during 
  the 
  last 
  and 
  the 
  present 
  years. 
  

   An 
  opportunity 
  being 
  offered 
  I 
  crossed 
  the 
  Missouri 
  Eiver 
  to 
  Fort 
  A. 
  

   Lincoln, 
  about 
  5 
  miles 
  below 
  Bismarck, 
  and 
  did 
  some 
  collecting 
  in 
  that 
  

   vicinity. 
  On 
  both 
  sides 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  I 
  found 
  the 
  grasshoi)pers, 
  espe- 
  

   cially 
  G. 
  spreius, 
  most 
  numerous 
  on 
  the 
  prairie 
  back 
  from 
  the 
  river, 
  while 
  

   lepidoptera, 
  neuroptera 
  and 
  dii)tera 
  were 
  most 
  numerous 
  on 
  the 
  low 
  

   grounds 
  near 
  the 
  river. 
  

  

  July 
  15. 
  — 
  I 
  took 
  passage 
  on 
  a 
  Missouri 
  Eiver 
  steamboat 
  for 
  Fort 
  Peck 
  

   Indian 
  Agency, 
  Montana. 
  During 
  the 
  day 
  we 
  stopped 
  at 
  three 
  wood- 
  

   yards, 
  at 
  each 
  of 
  which 
  I 
  captured 
  a 
  few 
  specimens 
  of 
  C. 
  sj^retus. 
  

  

  July 
  16. 
  — 
  The 
  steamer 
  wooded 
  once 
  to-day. 
  I 
  did 
  not 
  go 
  ashore 
  on 
  

   account 
  of 
  the 
  great 
  numbers 
  of 
  mosquitoes. 
  

  

  July 
  17. 
  — 
  I 
  saw 
  locusts 
  in 
  small 
  numbers 
  at 
  two 
  wood-yards 
  to-day. 
  

  

  July 
  18. 
  — 
  Passed 
  Fort 
  Buford, 
  but 
  did 
  not 
  go 
  ashore, 
  as 
  the 
  boat 
  did 
  

   not 
  stop 
  long 
  'enough 
  to 
  permit 
  it. 
  However, 
  I 
  learned 
  that 
  the 
  locusts 
  

   were 
  not 
  troubling 
  them 
  this 
  year. 
  

  

  July 
  19. 
  — 
  The 
  steamer 
  wooded 
  once 
  to-day. 
  I 
  did 
  not 
  see 
  any 
  locusts 
  

   at 
  the 
  wood-yard, 
  probably 
  because 
  of 
  the 
  dense 
  underbrush. 
  Arrived 
  

   at 
  Fort 
  Peck 
  Agency, 
  or 
  Poplar 
  Eiver, 
  at 
  10.30 
  o'clock 
  a. 
  m. 
  

  

  While 
  in 
  conversation 
  with 
  Sergeant 
  Brainard 
  of 
  the 
  Second 
  Cavalry, 
  

  

  