﻿[62] 
  EEPORT 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  ENTOMOLOGICAL 
  COMMISSION. 
  

  

  This 
  process 
  of 
  civilization 
  and 
  settlement 
  of 
  tlie 
  country 
  in 
  north- 
  

   ern 
  Africa, 
  notably 
  Algeria, 
  is 
  apparently 
  thinning 
  out 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  

   locusts, 
  diminishing 
  the 
  frequency 
  of 
  their 
  migrations, 
  and 
  rendering 
  

   the 
  frontier 
  settlements 
  less 
  liable 
  to 
  devastation. 
  This 
  is 
  indicated 
  in 
  

   part 
  by 
  the 
  following 
  extract 
  from 
  an 
  EDglish 
  pajDer: 
  

  

  The 
  invasion 
  of 
  field-crickets 
  in 
  1866 
  cost 
  Algeria 
  50,000,000 
  francs, 
  and 
  caused 
  the 
  

   famine 
  of 
  the 
  next 
  year, 
  in 
  which 
  200,000 
  natives 
  died 
  literally 
  of 
  hunger. 
  A 
  single 
  

   band 
  of 
  these 
  animals, 
  observed 
  in 
  the 
  province 
  of 
  Algiers, 
  contained 
  50,000 
  tons 
  of 
  

   them. 
  This 
  flood 
  of 
  animal 
  matter 
  would 
  furnish 
  a 
  manure 
  containing 
  nearly 
  1,000 
  

   tons 
  of 
  nitrogen. 
  In 
  view 
  of 
  this 
  fact, 
  and 
  the 
  possibility 
  of 
  future 
  invasions, 
  MM. 
  

   Durand 
  and 
  Hamel 
  have 
  lately 
  devoted 
  attention 
  to 
  finding 
  a 
  means 
  of 
  stopping 
  and 
  

   burying 
  such 
  swarms, 
  and 
  it 
  would 
  appear 
  they 
  have 
  succeeded. 
  Their 
  cricket-bar- 
  

   riers 
  (which 
  are 
  described 
  in 
  a 
  recent 
  number 
  of 
  La 
  Technologiste) 
  are 
  now 
  manu- 
  

   factured 
  and 
  sold 
  by 
  M. 
  Lambert. 
  These 
  barriers 
  are 
  formed 
  of 
  calico 
  stretched 
  on 
  

   posts 
  ; 
  they 
  are 
  arranged 
  not 
  in 
  a 
  straight 
  line, 
  but 
  in 
  lines 
  forming 
  angles, 
  and 
  the 
  

   crickets 
  advancing 
  to 
  the 
  angle 
  fall 
  into 
  a 
  pit 
  dug 
  there. 
  The 
  crickets 
  are 
  treated 
  in 
  

   the 
  pit 
  with 
  green 
  vitriol 
  (with 
  a 
  view 
  to 
  the 
  nature 
  of 
  the 
  manure). 
  

  

  THE 
  EAVAaES 
  OF 
  LOCUSTS 
  IN 
  RUSSIA 
  IN 
  1879 
  AND 
  1880. 
  

  

  The 
  following 
  newspaper 
  extracts 
  from 
  Eussian 
  correspondents 
  of 
  

   the 
  English 
  press 
  will 
  show 
  what 
  direful 
  ravages 
  and 
  consequent 
  famine 
  

   and 
  suffering 
  went 
  on 
  last 
  year 
  and 
  the 
  present 
  (1880) 
  in 
  southern 
  

   Bussia, 
  a 
  region 
  topographically 
  and 
  meteorologically 
  comparable 
  with 
  

   the 
  Great 
  Plains 
  borderiug 
  the 
  eastern 
  flanks 
  of 
  the 
  Eocky 
  Mountains. 
  

   The 
  heat 
  aud 
  drought, 
  the 
  vast 
  extent 
  of 
  grassy 
  " 
  steppes" 
  like 
  our 
  west- 
  

   ern 
  plains, 
  the 
  semi-civilized, 
  scattered 
  agricultural 
  population, 
  far 
  away 
  

   from 
  railroad 
  centers, 
  aftbrd 
  a 
  parallel 
  to 
  the 
  frontiers 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  

   ♦States, 
  only 
  that 
  the 
  people, 
  emancipated 
  serfs 
  and 
  peasants, 
  are 
  far 
  

   less 
  active, 
  intelligent, 
  educated, 
  and 
  thrifty 
  than 
  our 
  own 
  population, 
  

   and 
  thus 
  less 
  able 
  to 
  cope 
  with 
  sudden 
  and 
  widespread 
  calamity, 
  or 
  to 
  

   recover 
  when 
  once 
  stricken 
  down 
  with 
  the 
  terror 
  and 
  dismay 
  resulting 
  

   from 
  the 
  sudden 
  spoliation 
  of 
  their 
  crops 
  and 
  the 
  loss 
  of 
  every 
  green 
  

   thiug 
  around 
  their 
  homes 
  : 
  

  

  '' 
  Turning 
  now 
  from 
  the 
  ravages 
  of 
  revolution 
  to 
  the 
  devastations 
  of 
  

   locusts 
  — 
  rather 
  a 
  singular 
  transition, 
  you 
  must 
  admit— 
  I 
  find 
  a 
  daily 
  

   cry 
  of 
  lamentation 
  uttered 
  by 
  all 
  the 
  press 
  of 
  southern 
  Eussia. 
  As 
  a 
  

   very 
  certain 
  proof 
  of 
  how 
  enormous 
  is 
  the 
  damage 
  caused 
  to 
  the 
  crops 
  

   by 
  this 
  corn 
  beetle, 
  or 
  by 
  what 
  other 
  name 
  the 
  noxious 
  insect 
  may 
  be 
  

   called, 
  I 
  may 
  mention 
  that 
  in 
  the 
  province 
  of 
  Oherson 
  alone 
  — 
  into 
  the 
  

   custom-house 
  treasury 
  of 
  which 
  you 
  may 
  remember 
  some 
  days 
  ago 
  the 
  

   ]^ihilists 
  digged 
  their 
  underground 
  way 
  and 
  abstracted 
  an 
  enormous 
  

   quantity 
  of 
  coin 
  — 
  a 
  sum 
  of 
  no 
  less 
  than 
  50,000 
  rubles* 
  has 
  been 
  voted 
  

   for 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  exterminating 
  this 
  Egyptian 
  plague. 
  It 
  is 
  feared, 
  how- 
  

   ever, 
  that 
  the 
  preventive 
  measure 
  will 
  be 
  too 
  late, 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  crops 
  

   must 
  be 
  parted 
  with 
  in 
  a 
  Christian 
  spirit 
  of 
  submission. 
  On 
  a 
  surface 
  

   of 
  300 
  versts 
  at 
  and 
  around 
  Zanitzin, 
  on 
  the 
  Yolga, 
  there 
  has 
  been 
  no 
  

   rain 
  since 
  the 
  beginning 
  of 
  spring 
  till 
  now, 
  while 
  universal 
  dryness 
  and 
  

   enormous 
  heat 
  — 
  Eeaumur's 
  thermometer 
  standing 
  at 
  30 
  degrees 
  in 
  the 
  

   shade, 
  40 
  degrees 
  in 
  the 
  sun 
  — 
  with 
  intolerable 
  sultriness 
  and 
  dust, 
  have 
  

   destroyed 
  all 
  hopes 
  of 
  the 
  harvest 
  thereabout. 
  The 
  country- 
  people, 
  says 
  

   the 
  Golos, 
  are 
  leaving 
  their 
  homes 
  by 
  hundreds 
  in 
  despair 
  and 
  w^ander- 
  

   ing 
  about 
  as 
  beggars. 
  From 
  other 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  empire, 
  too, 
  the 
  cry 
  of 
  

   distress 
  is 
  heard, 
  arising 
  from 
  a 
  different 
  chord 
  of 
  woe. 
  The 
  Eusso- 
  

   Polish 
  and 
  Lithuanian 
  towns 
  are 
  swarming 
  with 
  such 
  a 
  large 
  and 
  nn- 
  

  

  *A 
  ruble 
  is 
  75 
  cents. 
  

  

  