The 'hoppers

J was astomSlifld to remi, ainong you editorial notos of yesterday, that "it ia a curious fact that, whilo tho graeshoppers carne from the sonthwcst last year, ïhey ore departing to the northwest this year," etc., or to tbat effact. Now, tho fiict is, that these insects did not como írom the New Mexico plains last summer, as every citiaen of Nebraska and Dakota wefi knows, but they did come, on the contrary, frora the north and northwest, straight from tho Brrtish Possessions. Tlie follcnrág extract from a newspaper hints at the trae versión of his habits: "The.first tbing in thie connection that we are bon ml to noticie h, that. the grafshopper moves in no aeoertainabie regulairnfe; no general law. lio its probably native to the región noith of Salt Lake, and Üiua fax han vinted Nebraska onlv at intervals of Hoveral yearn. What bringë iiim höre at all ? He gota on well enongh for several years at a timo without visiting hm. Besides, tl'.cre aro a tliounand miles of good grasa between ua and Iiík native aeat, and Hiere aro all the forests aurl glatleo of the momitains, of tlic uninhabited YclIowKtono Valley, the plains of all jiritiwh Aniei'ica, and the hole Pacific Blopo. Why. tb en, does he oocasioually como into Nebtaskai Why doen ho go sonweast to Míkhoutí, instead of due cat to Illinois and Oliio? Ai;il. nidie utrangelv atill, why doos he pasa over Nebrawha wilhcut lighting, aa ho did threc yeftra ugo, and disappeai forever, ho that no man can teil wluther he hart gone ?"' It in n facfc, whether curious or otherwise, that tho pïQgoïiifcots of Üiis identical "Missouri Hoek" (as it is oaljed hpre, owins: to the circumstonces tbat it was mainly híitclunl out in that ötate tliis spring) levastnlfil, or rat lier pjfcturod in, Central üritish Amerieathrcesiimmors since ; its progeny visiting Northern I )akota and Minnesota two years ago; the third gcueration descending npon Nebraska last summer, destroying it, and depositólo; its eggs in Missouri, the Sontheast corner of Nobraska, and the eastern part of Karusas, last autumn. This spring, theoffspring (foturth generation) laid waste the región ast abovo alluded to until about the middle of June, ■vben they aroso ond flew in a direction preciseiy opposite to their coiu-se last year - northwest. The column was 120 milcis east to eat, Bxtenfüng from Central Nebraaka to a point somowhere between Council Bluffs and Des Moincs, in lowa. They begafi to cross tin: Platte in countless millions on June 14 (a few small swarms had previously gono north), and had not entirely fiuished passag! over that river until June 21, seven days later. ïhey travel at a speed of about 13 miles an hour, or narly 1 :!0 miles flight per day, average. Their vailguard is now 900 or 1,000 miles northnorthwest of Omaha, andstill advanciag. Would it not be useful to follow this retreating host into its northern fastnesses, and track its moveinents for a few years in that vaat wildernes.s, where it has formerly pursued its devious wanderings, luiheralded and unknown, exeept as it occasionalJy emerges into the haunts of civilizatioii, and is recognized in the newspaper-world for a few yoars, only to disaipear soon, and bo forgotten ? In 'C7 or'8, a swarm fully as largo as this ono visited this section from the British regions (probably by the same successive steps) disappearing the next year in the direction from which it came; bul was little talked of Kast, as the coiuitry was then sparsely settlcd.