12: 



HARDWICKE'S SCIENC E-GOSSIF. 



during the performance, surrounded and protected by 

 others. No further care is then taken. These cy- 

 lindrical tubes of earth are found in erect position in 

 great numbers ; the cases or cysts are hard and 

 tenacious, effectually protecting the contents. The 

 eggs do not, however, escape the attacks of enemies ; 

 a fly of the order Bombylites, which, both in its 

 larval and pupal state inhabits the earth, destroys 

 immense numbers. 



In the south of Europe rewards are given for the 

 capture of eggs and perfect insects. When hatched, 

 the young at once begin the business of life, with 

 all the destructive instincts and ferocious powers of 

 their progenitors. In Kirby and Spence are found 

 interesting and reliable descriptions of their habits, 

 and of the devastation they cause in every state of 

 their career. Like other Orthopterans, they associate 

 together, assembling and moving onwards over a 

 country in one direction without deviation. If any 

 imix;diment causes dispersion they collect again, re- 

 organise their ranks, and follow the same route ; in 

 this way they advance without halting. In May they 

 retire into plains or hill-sides and deposit eggs, which 

 are hatched in June. The broods then collect and 

 march forward : nothing in the form of vegetation 

 escapes their ravages ; leaves or succulent substances 

 failing, they attack solid wood, and when swarms 

 congregate " the sound of their jaws may be palpably 

 heard." In a month they complete full growth, and 

 power of flight. 



Dr. Moffatt, in "Missionary Labour in South 

 Africa,'' refers ro the locust as the plague of the 

 country, and after graphically describing their pecu- 

 liarities, unappeasable appetites, and the dismay their 

 presence creates, says, " they are on the whole not 

 bad food, when well fed ; almost as good as shrimps." 

 Native tribes "fatten on them." 



The drawing is from a very perfect specimen 

 hatched in England, and mounted in balsam, without 

 pressure, by Mr. Enock ; the eggs in their cases, or 

 " pods," were presented to him by the late Sir Sidney 

 Smith Saunders, who procured them direct from Troad . 



Crouch End. 



A GENUINE BRITISH EARTHQUAKE.' 

 By The Editor. 



THE morning of April 22nd will not soon be 

 forgotten by the dwellers in southern Suffolk 

 and northern Essex. At eighteen minutes past nine, 

 the first shock of an earthquake was felt, succeeded 

 by two others. Buildings rocked to and fro, and, in 

 Essex, some partly toppled down, and others were 

 moved on their foundations. 



I was in the upper part of my house at Ipswich 

 when the first shock came. It was preceded by a 

 noise like that of a waggon rumbling through the 

 ;Streets. Then followed a new sensation ; and, in the 



space of a few seconds, a new experience was gained for 

 life. All my old instinctive notions of the solidity and 

 strength of a well-built English house vanished in a 

 moment. The walls and floors were converted into 

 india-rubber of the most elastic kind, and a kind of 

 nausea accompanied the change of experience. 



It was a terrible morning that, for news came in 

 all round, but especially from the neighbourhood of 

 Colchester, of fearful damage done by the earthquake 

 in the district where it had reached its " seismic 

 vertical," or climax; We, in England, have regarded 

 earthquakes as something exotic, and as if they could 

 not occur in our densely-populated country ; and 

 now, all on a sudden, we felt that a couple more 

 oscillations like those of the morning would have 

 shaken down every house. 



People in distant parts of England may think the 

 newspapers made the most of the occasion. But I 

 can bear personal testimony to the fact, that, on the 

 whole, they understated the event. I have been all 

 over the district most affected, for it was not every 

 day one had the opportunity of making personal 

 acquaintance with an earthquake, and I for one do 

 not wish the acquaintance to become any closer. 



The London. Clay of Suffolk and Essex, is full of 

 faults, and these dislocations even occur in our drift 

 beds, so that British earthquakes are not novel or 

 original phenomena, although they have seldom come 

 with any violence within historic times ; nor is there 

 any geological reasons to suppose they will become any 

 more frequent in the future — in spite of the alarmist 

 sermons preached in Colchester, to "improve" the 

 event. Indeed, there is reason to suppose the earth- 

 quake has some connection with the ridge of Palaeozoic 

 rocks known to extend beneath the eastern counties. 

 It is the bellied down chain of hills connecting 

 the Mendips in Somersetshire with the Ardennes in 

 Belgium, and has been repeatedly reached by deep 

 well borings at Crossness, Kentish Town, in Tottenham 

 Court Road, Ware, Harwich, and recently at Rich- 

 mond, where it lies at depths of from about 900 to 

 1,100 feet, covered chiefly by Cretaceous and 

 Tertiary strata. 



The following communications I sent to "Nature," 

 giving my personal investigations and experience of 

 the earthquake. 



On Wednesday morning, the day after the earth- 

 quake, I determined to start upon its track. In 

 Ipswich, little or no visible harm has been done ; but 

 no sooner had I arrived in Colchester, and commenced 

 to walk through the town, from the chief station to 

 the Hythe, than abundant evidence of the ruin 

 wrought by it was visible. Chimneys were totally 

 thrown down, and the brickwork had crashed 

 through the frail roofs. Others were standing, but 

 they looked as if they had been struck by lightning. 

 Their upper parts were splintered, and laterally 

 expanded. I could not help noticing that nearly all 

 the houses whose chimneys were wrecked were the 



