339 



Within tlie Malay Peninsula, the migratory locust against 

 which these operations were directed, first attracted attention near 

 Port Dickson, Xegri Sembilan, in February, 1912. When it came 

 is not known: but as the several swarms l)red synchronously, a 

 common origin is not unlikely, and would be 1)y importation of 

 eggs in soil some 12-24 months previously. 'I'he importation may 

 not have ])een from far away, for, whether we call the locust 

 PachijfyhiK niif/raforioides or Paclujtylus danicus, it has l»een 

 identified with what occurs in Southern India and in the Pliilip- 

 l)ine islands as well as elsewhere. It is certain that the past con- 

 dition of the country, — well forested — would be inimical to it: 

 but now that wide cultivation has removed the trees, and left 

 large grassy wastes, a condition suiting it has been brought into 

 existence. These artificial wastes, the strongholds of the locusts 

 are most extensive behind Port Dickson, but extend widely through 

 Malacca, and beyond into Xegri Sembilan and Johore. They meet 

 the three needs of the locusts : — • 



a warm soil for incubation 

 a grassy vegetation for food 

 a comparative freedom from enemies, 

 like the wide fire-swept downs of Africa, the steppes of Southern 

 Pussia, and the " cogonales " of the Philippine Islands, in which 

 locusts so often multiply in large numl)ers. 



The reader will understand that the forest meets none of these 

 needs ; the rice fields, the " grass-weeded " rubber estates, the coco- 

 nut plantations and the Malay village lands (really orchards in 

 grass) and the lallang Avastes meet them in large part, but clean 

 weeded rubber estates do not meet them at all adequately. 



Distributed as these conditions of vegetation are in Malacca, 

 there appears to be hardlv a mukim (parish) in the whole 1'eriitory 

 Mdiere locust breeding is impossible. 



In our work we kept careful records intended to lielj) towards 

 ascertaining whether certain mukims might escape and if so 

 why. And the following is a summary of the distribution of 

 locust Ijreeding during our fifteen months. 



In July, 1914, as map 1 shows, the locusts in eastern and 

 western Malacca had not l)red synchronously; but eastern Malacca 

 carried hop]iers in many places, while to the west fliers alone were 

 found. These fliers were in considerable swarms all moving 

 southwards as the arrows in the map indicate. We were not able 

 to attack all tlie places where hoppers hatched out, but only those 

 few indicated in tal)le 1. 



In August, between the 1st and the loth, enormous num])er8 

 of hoppers hatched out on the Tebong Estate at the very head of 

 the Malacca river, which also we were unable to attack : and others 

 appeared in the central part of the valley of the river from Gadek 

 down to Belimlnng, and also east of Merlimau towards the Johore 

 boundary. ]n both regions the hoppers were attacked, Imt east of 

 Merlimau only in September, 



