BEETLE. 
23 
leaves, and quite withered away, so that they 
never recovered again. Their multitudes spread 
so exceedingly that they infested houses, and be- 
came extremely offensive and troublesome. Their 
numerous young, hatched from the eggs which 
they had lodged under ground, near the surface 
of the earth, dkl still more harm in that close re- 
tirement than all the flying swarms of their 
parents had done abroad ; for this destructive 
brood, lying under ground, eat up the roots of 
corn and grass, and thus consumed the support 
both of man and beast. This plague was happily 
checked several ways. High winds and wet 
misling weather destroyed many millions of them 
in a day; and when this constitution of the air pre- 
vailed, they were so enfeebled that they would let 
go their hold, and drop to the ground from the 
branches, aiubso little a fall as this was sufficient 
quite to disable, and sometimes perfectly kill them. 
Nay it was observable that, even when they were 
most vigorous, a slight blow would for some time 
stun them, if not deprive them of life. During 
these unfavourable seasons of the weather, the 
swine and poultry of the country would watcli 
under the trees for their falling, and feed and 
fatten upon them; and even the poorer sort of 
the country people, the country then labouring 
under a scarcity of provision, had a wa}^ of dressing 
them, and lived upon them as food, In a little 
time it Avas found that smoke Avas another thing 
very ofl'ensiAe to them, and by burning heath, 
fern, &c. the gardens were secured, or if the 
