Locusts : Season 1921-22. 



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where it remains some time, eventually coming out and flying away. 

 If an egg-pocket visited by one of these flies were immediately dug 

 up, a few small, elongated, pearl-coloured eggs would be found on the 

 top of the egg-pocket. These small fly-eggs soon hatch and become a 

 pale, ivory-coloured, broad maggot, which devours the locust eggs. 

 This maggot has often been seen before, but the adult fly was unknown 

 until found near Graaif-Reinet, Avhere about 75 per cent, of the locust 

 eggs were destroyed by the maggot. 



Birdn. — The locust birds that assisted in the locust-destruction 

 work were the European Stork {Ciconia ciconia) and the Black Stork 

 (Ahdtmia abdimii). In January and February both these large birds 

 were seen in huge numbers following the flying swarms to the border 



Locusts Settling for the Night. 



of the Kalahari. The absence of open water eventually forced them 

 back, and in March they migrated northwards. The small locust 

 bird (GJareola melanojytera) was also seen in flocks in the western 

 Transvaal and Orange Free State. This bird also requires open water, 

 and the abnormal dry season drove it away to places with a more 

 legular rainfall. 



In tlie Cape Province the locust spreeuw (Creatophora caruncu- 

 latus) helped in the destruction of the voetganger, whilst the kestrels 

 and hawks did damage amongst the flying swarms. 



There is no mammal, bird, or reptile that does not relish voet- 

 gangers. Some insects even devour them. 



Natives are particularly fond of locusts as a food. Thousands of 

 bags of dried locusts are at present in the liands of natives in the 

 districts which were infested. 



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