[22] REPORT UNITED STATES ENTOMOLOGICAL COMMISSION. 
as the railroad and my trip ended at Breckenridge. The noise was as of bees swarm- 
ing, so great was the number of wings in motion. 
Question 23. Very few eggs hatched hero in the fall. In February, 1877, I placed 
earth containing egg-cells in my office and hatched out a largo number, placed then 
out doors over niglit with thermometer 20° below zero ; next day replaced them in 
office, and in a few hours one-third had recovered ; next night placed them out doors, 
18° below zero ; next day only about one in five of the survivors of the first experiment 
recovered. 
Last summer wo put about one bushel of the grown 'hoppers in a gunny sack, 
pbieed the sack in a barrel of water and kept it under water with weights. The next 
day I took them from the barrel and emptied them out of the sack, when, to my aston- 
ishment, I discovered a large number, perhaps one in forty or fifty, still alive. 
Question 24. Garden truck, oats, barley, wheat, potatoes, buckwheat, and, when well 
grown, apparently anything an ostrich would digest; coatsor other clothing, saddles, 
leather, whips, &c., left on the ground a few hours would be ruined. 
Question 26. Here they do not seem to have made much impression on native grasses. 
Question 27. Our domestic fowls. I have also observed my tame craue gathering 
them in. 
Question 28. Plowing in fall and early spring where they were known to have laid 
eggs in great numbers seems to have almost entirely spoiled the hatch. 
Question 29. Almost entire prairie ; small clumps of timber occasionally along the 
streams. 
Question 30. Our nights being almost universally cool the 'hoppers, towards sunset; 
congregate, when small, in piles or windrows, in the ruts in the roads, and along the 
sides of houses or other elevations, sometimes two or more inches deep. Where they 
lack these accommodations, I observe they climb on small shrubs, literally covering 
them. I think they neither march, fly, nor eat with us at night. 
Question 31. Apparently about the same rate of speed as the wind. 
D. WILMOT SMITH. 
Springfield, Box Homme County, June 5, 1877. 
The first appearance of locusts was in the morning of August 3, 1872. I think they 
must have come from northeast, as I met them while traveling in that direction. I. 
recollect it was very hot, but did not record the direction of the wiud ; think it was 
a still day. The next noon, the wind being in the northwest, they moved a little to 
southeast and remained until about noon of the 5th, when they left in a body, wind 
being southeast. During their stay they spoiled some pieces of corn and late oats ; 
others but slightly. 
Their next visit was in 1874. I think it was July 18. They rose in the form of cloude 
iu the south and southwest, about 1 p. m., and commenced settling about 2 p. ra., rav- 
enously devouring every green thing iu garden and field, so that in two hours hardly 
a vestige was left in gardens ; nothing in ours except youug peach-trees ; but the next 
day, between 9 a. m. and 12 m. the wind blowing geutly from the north, they left for the 
south. The result was, very few men harvested an ear of corn or dug a potato, very 
few oats gathered, and wheat turned out less than 5 bushels to the acre. About two 
weeks later vast hordes passed over from the north, and thus ended the campaign for 
that year. 
June 17, 1875, the wind being south, the 'hoppers came in untold numbers, and about 
11 a. m. began to settle, but in a few minutes a cloud being in the north, the wind 
commenced blowing gently from the north ; they came slowly but steadily all day from 
the south, settling mainly on fields of corn, remaining until noon of the 8th, when 
they left, leaving about three-quarters of a crop. 
July 20, 1876, the wiud having been iu northeast for several days, they came in force 
from that direction, but did not appear to be very hungry ; soon after they settled, 
the wind veered to the south and remained there almost constantly for a month, so 
they could not get away, they trying two or three times when the wind would change 
to north for a few minutes, so they merely changed neighborhoods two or three times 
till August 18, when the wind being north, with a clear sky and but gentle bieeze, 
they took their final flight south, occupying about two hours passing a single point. 
I can't learn that there have ever been eggs of any amount laid in this part of the- 
Territory since 1866 till last year, and then ouly in small patches in some locations. I 
have heard of but very few in our county, no one apprehending any danger from them : 
the first discovered was about the first of May, small patches, generally in sandy or 
gravelly locations, facing the south. 
S. HITCHCOCK. 
