47 
of tlie iiold. It would mIso seem, in renard to tlit^ second oftlie ;il)ov(v 
iiamed i)oiiits, that tlu^ pioveiition of sccpaji^e by short-rooted annual 
l)lants or even allalta would be slight and would be more than repaid 
by the protits on the grain or hay harvested alon-^ the ditch. However, 
it is the i)raetice, with only very rarely an exception, to allow these 
spaces to jiiow u\) to weeds. In thes<' extremely dani}) plac<'s il is not 
to be wondered at that species of locusts with such habits as M<hinoj>lus 
hiriitatns become exceedin<»ly abundant and troublesonu'. In fact, these 
strips ai-e thestartin<;i)oint of suchauund)erof locusts that in this region 
the total acreage is much atfected. They hatch in the spring aud si)rcad 
over the tields, then when the grain is cut, are driven back to the sides 
of the ditches, from which i)lace they si)rea(l to deposit their eggs in the 
fall. It would be the simplest of matters to exterminate them, even 
though the juactice of leaving strips along the sides of the ditches were 
not given up, by the thorough and i)ersistent use of ''dozers" after the 
grain had been cut from the tields. In short, all the locusts iu the 
country are driven at this time to the sides of the irrigating ditches, 
and no doubt at that time a process of driving by means of beating of 
the locusts, which is very easily accomplished, from the inside of the 
fences to the outside and the drawing of '' dozers'' along the roadsides 
with an analogous process appbad to the ditches would result in the 
destruction of all of them. For this purpose a modified "dozer'' drawn 
by a horse attached to one side would be of best avail. The expense 
compared to the present annual loss would be very slight, and should 
be borne by the counties in the infested areas. If this is not done dam- 
age will result in the future just as certainly as the seasons recur as 
long as the present method, or lack of method, is in vogue. 
One of the most valuable observations made in the territory most 
infested was the presence of immense flocks of Brewer's blackbird 
[Scolecophagiis cyanocephaliis Wagl.) hovering along the roads and 
destroying immense numbers of the locusts. Several birds obtained 
from a flock in the vicinity of Fort Collins had their stomachs crammed 
with from -H) to 50 specimens of these insects. The grasshopper fun- 
gus disease, Umjmsa grylli Fres., and Tachinid parasites were most 
numerous in the vicinity of Greeley. However, these attacks are rather 
local, and they do not seem to affect the local situation, especially since 
the flies do not appear until the locusts have done nio«t of the damage 
which they are capable of doing. 
In the western i)art of Colorado an unexi^ected and dangerous find 
was made in the presence of Acrid ium shoshone Thos. in the Grand 
Yalley above (irand Junction. This si)ecies has not been found in this 
region beiore, though it has been known to infest adjacent parts of 
I^tah. It was only seen in the Grand Yalley bottom near DeBequc, 
and was feeding upon willow. It was present now^here in injurious 
numbers and was not discovered upon fruit trees. It is an arboreal 
species, aud under the conditions, which appear to be very favorable for 
