174 NATURAL HISTORY. [cH. XII. 



sight which I never before witnessed in my life, 

 the flight of the locusts which are coming from Po- 

 land. I never could imagine any thing so terrible. 

 This day is beautiful ; but before I could look round, 

 a thick smoke cam-e over us, as if a forest were on 

 fire. This happened at twelve o'clock. A fearful 

 sound accompanied the smoke, like the rumbling of 

 stormy wind. The sun was darkened, and we could 

 not see ten paces before us. The sky never poured 

 down snow so thickly, as it teemed with locusts. 

 Their course is orderly, as they all appear to go to 

 one spot. Those which have settled here consume 

 in a moment all herbage and garden-stuff to the very 

 roots, and after a short halt fly oflT. It is now three 

 o'clock, and the spectacle is not over. 



Breslau. — On the 25lh they went towards Biez, 

 and their flight lasted four hours. The sun was so 

 darkened, that they who were without could not dis- 

 cern the city. 



London, 15th Aug. — Towards evening a dark 

 black cloud was seen gathering in the east, which 

 turned out to be a swarm of locusts. Many fell in 

 the streets, and others in St. James's Park. They 

 are no doubt a portion of the swarm which devasta- 

 ted Poland. The accounts from Norfolk state, that 

 the trees are as leafless now as in winter. Luckily, 

 however, these islands are and have been compara- 

 tively exempted from the awful visitations of this 

 pest. The common people, not content, however, 

 with the terrors of the scene, have added to them, 

 by stating that some of these insects were seen as 

 big as pigeons, the probability being that large birds 

 were forced to take rapid flight, and, being seen to 

 head the swarm, were mistaken for its leaders. 

 Many people, too, have endeavoured to make out 

 that, previous to the flight of the main body, the 

 locusts send out scouts and a quarter-master general 

 to reconnoitre the ground on which the whole are 

 to settle. 



