﻿FIELD AND EOREST. 145 



Acridium Americanum. — Two correspondents, of the Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture, writing from Vevay, Indiana, about the middle 

 of last November, reported the visitation in that place of an immense 

 cloud of grasshoppers that literally covered the streets of the- town. 

 One of the gentlemen observed about five P. M., dense cumulostratus 

 clouds in the southwest, gradually overspreading the sky ; at six o'clock 

 the wind had risen to moderate gusts, and within half an hour a rattling 

 noise was heard against the windows, like that of light hail. On open- 



Fig. 4. Acridium Americanum. 



ing the doors, grasshoppers entered in immense numbers, covering 

 the floors, furniture, clothing, &c. The shower continued till eight 

 o'clock, P. M., when the ground was thickly covered, and the boys 

 began tu burn them, shoveling them into bonfires. The specimen sent 

 shows the in ct to have been the Acridium ( Cyrtacanthacris) amer- 

 icanum, o: of our largest American grasshoppers, and more than 

 twice as 1? e as either the C. spretus or C. femur-rubrum. 



These . ne insects were so plentiful in Suffolk county, Virginia, 

 about three years ago, that some of the farmers became greatly alarmed 

 at their presence, supposing them to be the true migratory species. 

 They ate up all kinds of farm produce and then commenced on the 

 trees. The species was determined by scores of specimens sent us for 

 examination. The insects are numerous in this locality, but, with the 

 two instances above cited, we have not known of their coming in such 

 swarms before. — C. R. D. 



Appearance of Snow Fleas. — Charles M. Nes, of York, Penn- 

 sylvania, writes to the Smithsonian Institution that with the snow-fall 

 of the 8th of January, (about 12 inches,) there appeared myriads of 

 " springtails " or Podurce, samples of which were enclosed, covering 

 the surface of the snow to such an extent as to entirely discolor it. 



