1877.] The Rocky Mountain Locust. 671 
steppe of British America, and largely went to make up the au- 
tumn swarms that came into our own country a year ago. Gov- 
ernor Morris started late in July of 1876 from Winnipeg north- 
west to make a treaty with certain Indians, and during the first five 
or six days of August he encountered innumerable locust swarms 
all the way from the forks of the two main trails to Fort Ellice. 
The wind was blowing strong from the west all the time, — just 
the very direction to carry the insects straight over into Manitoba. 
The governor watched their movements with the greatest anxiety, 
fearing that the province would again be devastated as it had 
been the previous year. Yet during all the time he was passing 
through the immense swarms, they bore doggedly to the south 
and southeast, either tacking against the wind or keeping to the 
ground when unable to do so. Nothing was more remarkable 
than the manner in which they persisted in refusing to be car- 
ried into Manitoba. A few were blown over, but did not alight, 
and the province seemed miraculously delivered. Mr. Whit- 
man tells me, again, that in settling the present year the insects 
avoided those counties in Minnesota in which they had hatched 
most numerously and done greatest injury, but selected such as 
had not suffered for some years past. 
It is evident that there is more than mere ciados in these 
occurrences, and I may say that upon looking more deeply into 
the matter I cannot find a single instance where eggs have been 
laid thickly for two successive years in any invaded country. 
This is a most important fact. During a season of great devas- 
tation there is a natural tendency among the more pious portion 
of the community to beseech the Almighty, by prayer, fasting, 
and humiliation, for deliverance. How greatly their faith must 
be strengthened by facts such as I have just stated! As a natu- 
ralist it is my province to study the reasons for the facts. 
Whether what I call the working of natural laws be called by 
others the instrumentality of Providence is quite immaterial. 
To recapitulate, I think we may safely deduce the following 
four rules as governing the Rocky Mountain locust east of the 
mountains from which it takes its name: 
C1.) The northwest origin of the more “denen fall swarms 
that overrun the more fertile country south of the 44th parallel 
and east of the 100th meridian. 
(2.) The return migration toward the northwest of the insects 
that hatch in the country name 
(3.) The eastern limit of the Sane, spread along the 94th 
= Meridian, 
