21 
ern boundary. During the present year reports of its injury were 
received from Minnesota, North Dakota, and Manitoba by the Depart- 
ment of Agriculture,and upon investigation I found these reports to be 
only too true. In Minnesota and Dakota the authorities, ably assisted 
by the efforts of settlers, have been carrying on a vigorous warfare with 
marked results, which will doubtless save their crops from devastation 
next season. 
Melanoplus atlanis, Riley, the Lesser Migratory Locust.—Tbis locust, 
which very frequently becomes very injurious on account of its excess- 
ive increase, is somewhat smaller than the Rocky Mountain species. It 
is also migratory in its habits, but to a much less degree than is spretus. 
In its distribution this insect is much more widely spread than the pre- 
ceding, being common in almost all parts of our country from the Mex- 
ican boundary to the fifty-third degree of north latitude, and even be- 
yond in some parts of the country. It is the species which most fre- 
quently does the locust injury in the New England States, much of that 
in our Northern States, and some in the extreme Northwest. It has 
also been known to become injuricus even in the Middle and Southern 
States. In its distribution atlanis appears to be more partial to hilly 
or mountainous country, and especially is this noticeable in reference 
to its appearance in destructive numbers. It also seems to prefer 
wooded or mixed country to the open prairie or plains. 
As would naturally be expected from its wide distribution, this par- 
ticular locust presents some variation in its size, color, and, to some ex- 
tent also, its structure. At any rate there appear to be three well- 
marked forms of the species to be met with within the confines of North 
America. 
Melanoplus devastator, Scudd.—A third species of the genus Melano- 
plus is the one that occasionally appears in destructive numbers in 
portions of California and the adjoining States. It is about the same 
size as the atlanis just mentioned, and often does considerable injury 
to the crops of the regions where it occurs. Although this locust is 
known to inhabit almost the entire region lying to the west of the main 
divide of the Rocky Mountains and to reach even beyond in Montana 
and Colorado, it has never, to my knowledge, been injurious except in 
Nevada, California, Arizona, and Oregon. This species also occurs in 
two forms, viz, small and large, being the spring and tall broods as 
nearly as I have been able to decide from specimens in collections. 
Melanoplus bwittatus, Say, the Two-striped Locust.—This is our com- 
mon species of native grasshopper all over the country, and the one 
that so frequently becomes injurious in our gardens and about the 
edges of fields. It occurs from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and from the 
Gulf of Mexico to the Saskatchewan. Its increase in destructive num- 
bers appears, however, to be confined chiefly to the regions lying be- 
tween the Rocky Mountains and the Atlantic. This locust also appears 
to vary considerably in its size and color. There are, however, two 
