Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1885-06-13


GRAssHoPPERs AND LoCTsTs.
u. II. Chapman, White Rock, Cal: The
package containing specimens of the So
called grasshoppers at hand. On exami-
nation [ find four species of the destructive
locusts, and one grasshopper and one
cricket. From this variety of species it is
evident that in this State, as in the Eastern
States, the different species of locusts, etc,
go on the warpath together 1t is unfor-
tunate that so much confusion exists in the
popular classification of this section of the
order Orthoptera; for instance, the true
American lOcusts are popularity termed
grasshoppers, and the true grasshoppers
are termed katy-dids, crickets, ETC.; and the
CIcuda, which belongs TO an entirely diff
ferent order of insects, is termed locust.
The grasshoppers and locusts belong to the
order Orthoptera (or sTaight-winged in
sect. When at rest the wings are folded
longitudinally upon the body. The upper
wings are Of a leathery conscience CORE
sponding with the Clytra of beetles, and the
lower. or hind wings, give an additional
character by which the insects of the fami-
lies, Gryllide, Locustide and Acridid;e
can be readily identified namely, when at
rest they are folded like fan.
These species are unlike the butterflies,
moths, beetles, etc, which undergo COM
plete transformation, or which. III other
words, in food, habits and appearance the
insects undergo a complete change at each
transformation. In the OrthCptera it can
hardly be said with certainty when the
iarval state ends and the pupa begins, or
when the pupa state merges into the per-
feet state. Therefore their transformations
are said to be incomplete, as their larvGe
and pup;e resemble the perfect insect, ex-
Cept that they have not attained full size
and the wings are not fully developed.
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GRAssHopPERs AND
LoCUsTs.
In the true gras5hoppers the feet are four
iointed, and the females are provided with
a curved or sword-shapcd ovipositor, and
the antenna long and filiform (thread-likel.
They i've upon grasses and trees.
On the true locusts the feet are three
iointed; the females have the tips of the
abdomen furnished with four bony pieces,
two OF which are curved upwards and two
downwartis an tennp short and somewhat
clavate. They live upon the ground, or in
other words, feed upon plants and vegeta-
ton near the ground. Locusts are divided
into many genera, which are comprised of
Thousands of species; but in California we
are only interested in two genera, namely,
the Cdtopten1Y and dEdipoda. Independent
of the general characters described above,
bv which the locust can be distinguished. the
genus C.ii0ptenus can be readily identified by
the presence of a curious spine or thorn
1T,
terror legs. 1t is ycllowish in color, and in
the form OF an awl-point. There are some
thirty species of this genus known in the
United States, but only three of them are
known to be destructive in this State,
namely:
First-The CdioptenpS SpretnS; color, red
dish-brown length, one and one-quarter 10
one and a hall inches wings extend nearly
one-haIf of an inch beyond the abdomen.
The tip of the abdomen III the male is dis
tinctly notched This species is popularity
known as The Hated Locust
Second-Thc CalQptenus .frm1r-rabr7m !;
color, darker than spretus; body, about
same size; wings extend little beyond tip
of abdomen. These two species are difficult
TO distinguish, except by the difference in
length OF wings. This second species is
popularity known as the Red-legged Lo-
Gust"
Thfrd-The Ca,2pteaas qtI,ntis; color,
bright cray and olive, with diagonal line
white from base Of wing to hind, or pos
terror, thigh. This species is popularity
known as the g Lesser Locust
The genus Giip0ciG are smaller than the
Cl0ptca;@, the generic name meaning
I" swelled legs" They are not provided
with As large wings Us the CrLoptefuts, and
have generally been considered harmless
and nun-migratory. However, one species
is found in this State that has proved very
destructive, namely, dIlipoiI dtr0r, the
specific name dtr0r meaning atr0ciOus, and
they may therefore be termed the Gtrocious
locust. This species travel only & small
distance annually, but they are found all
over the Pacific coast. and accounts Of their
operations have been heard of from Santa
Barbara, Fresno, Shasta. Sierra Valley,
central California, etc, where III certain
years they swarmed in immense numbers
and destroyed crops, etc. The species which
comprise this genus are not provided with
the spines or awl-points between the fore
legs as in Ctloptnuts, but have rounded
Adams apple instead.
VISITATION OF LocUsTs N CALIFORNIA.
ilov. S. Taylor. of Monterey, Cal, pub
lished an excellent account of locust inva-
sions in the Smithsonian Report of 1898, in
which he SAYS: The early Jesuit mission
aries of California have left numerous re-
cords of their injuries On the Pacific Coast.
Father Micheal del Barco records their
visitations in California in 1922, ING, and
the three succeeding years; also in 1888,
1854, and I7G5 Clayigero, III his History
of California. also gives d full description
Of these pests. In 1927, ISIS, and 1884, they
destroyed all the crops in the rancheros and
missions, and i'll 1888 and 1916 again did
great damage in upper California
Saws Mr.. Taylor in the report already
alluded to: Up to the 1ith of Octo-
Der, 1855, and commencing about the
middle of May, these insects extended
themselves over q space of the earth's sur
face much greater than has before been
noted. They covered the entire Territories
of Washington and Oregon, and every val
ley of the State of California. ranging from
the Pacific ocean to the eastern base of 5lte
Sierra Nevada; the entire Territories of
Utah aud New Mexico; the immense
grassy prairies lying on the eastern slope OF
the Rocky mountains; the dry mountain
valleys OF the Republic OF Mexico, and the
countries Of Lower California and Central
America ana also, those portions of the
State % Texas which rcsen bic in physical
tIlt-ftN 10y iStit7 I Atl tAl3i NdlliDl ND A5iL
records prove that the locusts extended
themselves in one year over surface COM
prisel ithin thirty-cight degrees Of lati-
tude, and i'll the broadest part, eighteen de
grces Of longitude"
On several days of June, July and Au-
gust, Of 1885, the srasshoppers Tor iqHgos-
taS Of Die Spaniards) were seen in such in
credible numbers in the valley Of Sacra-
mento, in California; in the valley of
Colima, in Southwest Mexico; il the val
ley of the Great Salt Lake: in Western
Texas and IN certain valleys of Central
America, that they filed the air like flakes
Of snow on n winters day, and attacked
everything green or succulent with a
voracitv, and dispatch destructive to the
hopes of The agriculturists.
In 1855 they again made their appear
ance in parts Of Utah and California in re-
duced Numbers. The second report of
United States chronological Commission
says; a." In 1855 swarms of atroci0uS locust
resembling saow-storm, passed over the
city of Sacramento during the noon hours
of two days. They destroyed half the
f,F -sss.r L..