The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1892-01-21

certain sections of Africa.
Certain reptiles also migrate from
place to place. have myself observed
rattlesnalScs crawling across n western
prairie in countless NUN bers, all in tho
Same direction. At the time / saw
them they were spread over a very
large territory, the width of the strange
procession being not less than eight to
| ten miles
The migration OF insects is n fact
that has been seldom recorded, ane,
perhaps not often witnessed. In this
case, again, to find illustrations wo
must look to the prairics of the west.
In that vast and tracl<less domain,
where nature reigns supreme, she I'M
iolos her richest treasures and relates
her strangest stories.
III was once my good fortune to wit
ness in the far southwest the migra-
lions in vast numbers of three widely
different species of insects The first,
which took place in the month of MAY,
was the flight of the white butterflies
OF the species known as Kricogonin
lyside, about as large as our common
cabbage butterfly, and pretty closely
resembling it In the morning these
white butterflies began to leave the
places where they had concealed them
selves during the night and to move in
one general direction towards the north
by noon the prairie was alive with
theIn all around as far rs the eye could
reach.
walked several miles that morning
through the vast cloud of wings, but
found no end to it. At times COM
pared them in numbers to bees leaving
a VI oil -
lakes. l stood with my collecting net
catching on the wing some of the finest
and largest specimens that came within
reach. There was not much choice,
however, for l noticed that nearly all
of them were in fresh and perfect con-
dition, having evidently just emerged
from the chrysalis.
All that day they continued t, hy.
but, OF course, the migration ceased ut
night, because it is the instinct of but
terilies to go under cover when dark
ness approaches. found Il few that had
lodged under the leaves of the mesquite,
a bush related to our locust The next
morning the flight was resumed, and
the white-robed travellers continued to
move past me in dense swarms for
about an hour after which the num-
tered, then Il few stragglers only were
to be seen and at last they disappeared.
On two or three occasions witnessed
northward migrations of this same spe-
cies. ! was assured by observers, whom
had reason to consider trustworthy,
that in the early autumn large flights
of this same white butterfly take place
in southwark direction. Such flight
CT No y
brood, because the life of an individual
butterfly is but few weeks in dura-
ton at most. 1t is quite possible that
by some developed instinct peculiar to
only few species these butterflies are
impelled, at the beginning of the long,
dry southern summer, to seek Il more
northern climate, where they may find
soil less baked 10y the sun and more
succulcnt heritage adapted to the wants
of their voracious caterpillars
Al the end of summer it would seem
that they return like the birds, to find
warm and sunny winter. The fight
that observed took place in Southern
Texas, but in my journeys farther
north never found this species in large
mum bers. / am, therefore, unable to
say to what northern locality my great
clouds of white butterflies could have
been waited.
In June of the same year and again
in August n certain large dragon-hy
caught the migrating fever, and mil
lions of his kind flew in swarms all in
one direction over the prairie AS far
as our party could travel in one day we
continued to see these winged Charming
needles In June they flew due north
west, in August nearly southwest. This
also seemed like a going and returning
migration. Unlike the butterflies, these
dragon-fics continued their passage
during the night and their procession
occupied three or four days in passing
us. We had no means of learning
whittier they were bound or whence
they came.
The common gray beetle known as
the Spanish fly is another emigrant
over the Texas prairies Our party
suddenly encountered an army of these
beetles as we were driving from one of
our hunting camps to another, and we
turned and followed in its wake. The
insects crawled as fast as their active
legs could carry them, making a col
umn that varied from six inches to two
two feet in with and more than one
hundred yards in length. The head of
the army was compactly formed in q
dense line. but its rear ended with n
long stream of stragelers until thew
gradually ceased. i am inclined to be-
lieve that all these myriads of beetles
were Matched from eggs laid close to-
Sether by few females of the preced-
ing generation. -Philadelphia Times.