THE LOCUST OF NORTH-WESTERN INDIA. 257 



their fields, and by driving and sweeping them into heaps, which they hurnfc, they 

 destroyed vast numbers; the birds also destroyed threat numbers of them. By 

 lighting fires round their fields, the*cultivators endeavoured to prevent their entry. 

 The numbers of the locusts, however, seemed to be unaffected, and the invasion 

 proved too vast for any individual action to be of much service. The fires could 

 not be kept constantly burning, and as soon as they went out, the locusts crowded 

 across them. The locusts were observed up to 31st July, by which time many of 

 them had transformed into pupae; great damage had then been done, and this, 

 combined with the previous drought, ruined many of the cultivators. About 31st 

 July flights of winged locusts were seen to pass overhead. When rain was actually 

 falling, it drove the young locusts into the trees and fences for shelter, but seemed 

 to have no permanent effect upon them. 



In 1834, according fco Hunter's Gazetteer, locusts ate up the crops in Kaira, and 

 remissions in the revenue amounting to £19,655 were sanctioned ; in Ahmedabad 

 also, where the rainfall was deficient, the distress was increased by vast swarms 

 of locusts. In 1843-44 Rawalpindi suffered severely, the following being an 

 extract from Hunter's C4azetteer on the subject : — 



The locusts " appeared just in time to devour the whole autumn crop of 1843; 

 they remained for the succeeding spring crops, and at last took their departure 

 after utterly destroying the autumn harvest of 1844. Rawalpindi is still suffering 

 from the remote effects of this terrible visitation. The Sikh authorities insisted 

 upon realizing the utmost farthing of their revenue from the starving cultivators, 

 who were obliged to have recourse to the trading classes, and so commenced a svstem 

 of chronic indebtedness which has not even yet entirely passed away. The tenures 

 of land were completely revolutionized, to the great disadvantage of the pro- 

 prietary class, as the Sikhs admitted tenants to share the burdens and privileges 

 of the landowners, in order the more readily to collect their exorbitant imposts. 

 The British Courts were for long flooded with litigation arising from the dis- 

 organization of this unhappy period." 



In 1863 there was a wide-spread visitation of locusts in the Punjab and Raj- 

 putana, but no very complete records have been found of their history. Specimens 

 from Muzuffargarh, preserved by Mr. W. Coldstream, shew that the insect be- 

 longed' to the species Acridium peregrinum. As in other invasions the insect 

 seems to have bred in the early spring in parts of the Punjab, and in the begin- 

 ning of the south-west monsoon in the districts bordering upon the Rajputana 

 desert; and the fact that a considerable flight reached Dacca in the cold weather 

 (report of the present Commissioner of Chittagong) would seem to show that the 

 plague continued throughout the greater portion of the year. 



In the Shahpur district (according to the report of the Deputy Commissioner) 

 large flights appeared in February and March, but they were little noticed. 

 When, however, the eggs were expected to hatch out, rewards were offered for 

 them, and 186 maunds of eggs were brought in by the villagers and destroyed, the 

 total cost being about Rs. 305. Rewards were also offered for young locusts, and 

 2,272 maunds of them were destroyed at a cost of Rs. 710, most of them being 

 33 



