160 Zoological Collections. 



numbers : they then took their departure, biit continued to hover about 

 the place for a month afterwards. 



On the 18th July, while riding in that direction, I discovered an im- 

 mense swarm of very small dark-coloured insects in the vicinity of a large 

 pool of stagnant water : they were collected in heaps, and covered the 

 ground to a considerable distance. These, on minute inspection, proved 

 to be young locusts, but without wings. In this place they remained, 

 hourly increasing in numbers for some days, when the great body moved 

 off. Taking a direction towards the town of Etawah, they crept and hop- 

 ped along at a slow rate, until they reached the town, where they divided 

 into different bodies, still, however, keeping nearly the same direction, 

 covering and destroying every thing green in their progress, and distribut- 

 ing themselves all over the neighbourhood. The devastation daily com- 

 mitted by them was almost incalculable. The farmers were under the 

 necessity of collecting as many people as they could, in the vain hope that 

 they might preserve the crop by sweeping the swarm backwards ; but as 

 often as they succeeded in repelling them in one quarter they approached 

 in another. Fires were lighted all round the fields with the same view : 

 this had the effect of keeping them off for a short time ; but suflScient fuel 

 could not be supplied, and the moment the fires became extinguished, the 

 insects rushed in like a torrent. Multitudes were destroyed by the birds, 

 and many more by branches of trees, used by the farmers for that pur- 

 pose, as well as by their being swept into large heaps, and consumed by 

 firq; yet their numbers seemed nothing diminished. They so completely 

 covered some mango trees, and the hedges surrounding the gardens, that 

 the colour of the leaves could not be distinguished. They had no wings, 

 and at this time were about the size of small bees, their heads of a dark 

 red colour, their bodies marked with black lines. They continued to 

 creep along the ground, but hopped and leapt about when their progress 

 was interrupted. 



July 27th. They were increasing in size, and had overspread that part 

 of the country in every direction. From the want of rain, and the over- 

 whelming inroad of these insects, the farmers were nearly ruined. No- 

 thing impeded their progress : they climbed up the highest trees, and 

 scrambled over walls, and notwithstanding the exertions of several people 

 with brooms, the verandah and outer walls of the hospital were complete- 

 ly covered with them. They no longer continued to move in one particu- 

 lar direction, but paraded backwards and forwards, wherever they could 

 find food. 



On the 28th July the rains set in with considerable violence : the lo- 

 custs took shelter on trees and bushes, devouring every leaf within their 

 reach ; none seemed to suffer from the rain. 



On the 29th it did not rain, and the young swarm again were on the 

 move continuing their depredations ; they were fast increasing in size, 

 and equally lively as before the rain. 



It rained on the 30th, and again the locusts took shelter on the trees 

 and fences ; several large flights of locusts passed over the cantonments. 



