223 
Fifth stage. — Wing-pads large, projecting backward, their tips attaining the hind 
edge of the segment back of the one to which they are attached; antenna; twenty- 
six-jointed: color and markings as in the third sta^e. Length, 38 
FlG. 22.— SchUtocerca americana, fifth stage— natural size (original). 
At the next casting of the skin, full wings appear. 
Mr. Coquillett's report of the observations which he made from 
August 27 to 31 follows: 
MR. COQUILLETT'S REPORT. 
The infested district. — The region in which this grasshopper (tichisto- 
cerca americana Drury) occurred in destructive numbers, is situated in 
lioanoke county, in the southwestern part of Virginia, at the base, or 
rather among the foothills, of the Blue Eidge Mountains. The topog- 
raphy of the country is very irregular, consisting of hills of greater or 
less elevation, with intervening valleys. The soil is a rich, clayey 
loam. 
The area in which they occurred in the greatest numbers contains 
about four square miles. Within this area twenty-five acres of oats and 
seventy-five acres of clover had been entirely ruined by them; two 
fields of corn containing one hundred acres each had been almost 
stripped of their leaves, and several other fields of less extent had been 
treated in a similar manner. It was a curious but repeatedly demon- 
strated fact that the grasshoppers manifested a decided preference for 
the leaves of the older and nearly matured corn, while the younger 
corn plants almost entirely escaped their ravages. In a few instances 
the silk and husks at the ends of the ears of corn had been devoured, 
and in rare instances they had fed upon the nearly ripened kernels«of 
corn. Where the husks had thus been eaten away, the ears were 
exposed to the rains and fogs, and frequently molded from this cause. 
In this infested area various kinds of fruit trees had been almost com- 
pletely defoliated by the grasshoppers, which had gnawed the bark 
from the smaller twigs and also eaten large cavities in the apples still 
hanging on the trees. It was very noticeable that the leaves at the 
top of the trees had first been attacked, while those lowest down on the 
trees were the last to be attacked. They showed an evident preference 
for the leaves of apple and cherry trees, while those of pear trees 
