LOCUST. 
135 
to lessen their numbers than totally destroy them ; 
for many of them lurk under the grass or thick 
corn, and in the fissures of the ground from the 
sun’s heat: wherefore it is requisite to repeat this ^ 
operation several times, in order to diminish their 
numbers, and consequently the damage done by 
them. It will likewise be of use, where a large 
troop of them has pitched, to dig a long trench, of 
an ell width and depth, and place several persons 
along its edges, provided with brooms and such- 
like things, while another numerous set of people 
form a semicircle that takes in both ends of the 
trench, and encompasses the locusts, and, by mak- 
ing the noise above-mentioned, drive them into 
the trench, out of which if they attempt to escape, 
those on the edges are to sweep them back, and 
then crush them with their brooms and stakes, 
and bur}^ them by throwing in the earth again. 
But when they have begun to fly, there should be 
horsemen upon the watch in the fields, who, upon 
any appearance of the swarm taking wing, should 
immediately alarm the neighbourhood by a certain 
signal, that they might come and fright them from 
their lands by all sorts of noise^ and if tired with 
flying, they happen to pitch on a waste piece of 
land, it will be very easy to kill them with sticks 
and brooms in the evening or early in the morn- 
ing, while they are wet with the dew; or anytime 
of the day in rainy weather, for then they are not 
able to fly. I have already taken notice that, if 
the weather be cold or wet in autumn, they gene- 
rally hide themselves in secret places, where they 
