CH. XII.] THE LOCUST, ETC. 177 



consume these creatures, but actually did so, and 

 the rabbins gave the marks by which the clean 

 might be distinguished from the unclean species. 

 It is conjectured too by some Hebrew scholars, that 

 the word which is translated quail in Exodus refers 

 to the locust. This word (selavim) says the anony- 

 mous author from whom I quote, was never thought 

 either by the older or the later rabbins to be equiva- 

 lent to quails, although they did not know what to 

 mako of it. Josephus, probably from a similar rea- 

 son, was the first to translate it by quails, because 

 the Greek word, used in the text of the Septuagint, 

 has a great resemblance with that which signifies 

 quail. And these authorities have been followed 

 by our translators. 



It is difficult to conceive how such a number of 

 quails could be gathered together as to cover the 

 surface for miles two ells high, how they could be 

 caught when there, and how preserved sweet du- 

 ring the sojourn of the Israelites ; although all these 

 difficulties disappear if, in the passage alluded to, the 

 word be applied to the locust. Their manners, their 

 forming the food of the surrounding nations, their 

 long continuance on the spots on which they settle, 

 seem to confirm the above conjecture, and leave 

 the miraculous interposition of a special act undis- 

 turbed. That the food of John the Baptist, which 

 was said to have been locusts and wild honey, was 

 probably the insect and not any part of a tree, is 

 probable from what has been already said. The 

 earlier commentators of the Testament being igno- 

 rant of the fact of grasshoppers being used as food, 

 thought that the achridas, which St. John ate, must 

 have been achrodrica, or the buds of trees, and others 

 read achradas, which, say they, means inTheophras- 

 tus the wild pear. A long and learned summary 

 of the dispute is to be found in Aldrovandus. 



The following extract from Niebuhr verifies some 

 of the statements which have already been made, 



