1877.] The Rocky Mountain Locust. 673 
_ they flew from the south over the country west of the province, 
and reached the North Saskatchewan at several points, passing 
- many miles north of Fort Carleton. 
The insects that rose after the first week in July (mostly from 
restricted parts of Minnesota and Dakota) bore for the most part 
southwardly, while many of those which passed to the northwest 
earlier in the season returned. Thus, swarms more or less scat- 
tering have been passing for the past two months over parts of 
Iowa, Nebraska, and Kansas, in varying directions, but mainly to 
the south and southeast. They have lately reached into the In- 
dian Territory. In no instance have ‘they done serious damage, 
and the reports that come to me are singularly unanimous on this 
point. The movements of the insects that bred in Minnesota 
_ this year were very similar to the movements of those that bred 
there in 1876. They at first flew to the northwest, but were 
subsequently brought back, and traveled over parts of Iowa, Ne- 
braska, and Kansas. The difference between the two years is 
that the flights that thus turned back on the original course in 
1876 were recruited and followed by immense and fresh swarms 
from the northwest plains regions, where, far beyond the boundary 
line, they hatched and bred innumerably; whereas the Minnesota 
swarms of 1877 have not been recruited because there were few 
eggs laid in 1876, and no insects of any consequence reared in 
1877 in said northwest country. Itis upon this fact that I have 
founded the belief in no serious devastation in the southeast 
country this fall. 
To those who pay little attention to the subject the disappear- 
ance of the swarms that left the Mississippi Valley is matter for 
Wonder, ‘“ What is hit is history, but what is missed is mystery.” 
Who, at the explanation of some simple trick or piece of leger- 
demain, has not smiled to think how easily he was baffled! But 
there are those who prefer the mystery of ignorance, and would 
much rather believe that the locusts have vanished in the heav- 
ens or been swept into the ocean than accept any explanation ; 
and there are others who, from sectional feelings, would much 
rather believe that the insects have flown to Canada and New 
England than accept the facts. 
43 
VOL. XI.— No. 11 
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