DISTRIBUTE INSECT VAPaETY. 303 



tions. One of its latest marvels has been a visitation of locusts 

 upon a scale of amazing magnitude, with which Southern 

 Russia and the Caucasus have been recently plagued. These 

 locusts, it appears, have positively" encountered the troops of his 

 Imperial Majesty the Czar m the field, fought with, and de- 

 cisively defeated them. A strong detachment of infantry, under 

 the command of Major Lazofl:, was on the march from Goat- 

 schkai to Elisabetpol for the purpose of reinforcing the column 

 destined to operate against the Tekinz tribes, when it was assailed 

 by a flight of locusts thirty-five versts square, which liad alighted 

 in such masses upon the ground that the soldiers could not wade 

 through them, and still filled the air, swarming upon the men 

 in countless myriads. In the hope of dispersing them by noise, 

 Major Lazoff gave his men the command to fire in the air, and 

 kept up a series of volleys for nearly half an hour ; but the locusts 

 paid no attention whatsoever to the rapid discharge of Russian 

 musketry directed against them, and the detachment was forced 

 to retreat for the second time to Dzigamskoi. A less unpleasant 

 but equally remarkable visitation is reported from Switzerland, 

 Baden, and the Rhine districts, where, on the 7th instant, incal- 

 culable flights of butterflies passed over the country from west- 

 wards to eastwards. At St. Gatten and Gossan one flight 

 occupied the entire afternoon in traversing the district, the 

 whole population turning out in amazement to watch its flutter- 

 ing progress. This gathering appears to be the same which was 

 observed a day later in the Canton of Zurich, at Wetzikon, and 

 in the Thurgau at Dussnang. Another astounding company of 

 butterflies passed over Karlsruhe and Buhl last Sunday week, 

 flying from north to south, and again in the opposite direction 

 on the following Tuesday. All these consisted exclusively of 

 the so-called thistle eater {Vanessa cardui), a dark-brown but- 

 terfly with reddish-yellow spots. They appear to have crossed 

 the Rhine near Rheinweiler, and to have caused great consterna- 

 tion among the Rhenish farmers. It may be remarked the 

 season had been proverbially wet, and the prevailing winds 

 during the period of migration were south and westei'ly.^^ 

 Another paper, quoting an accoimt given by Dr. A'^on Krauss, 

 in the Vereinfilr Vaterlandische Naturkunde, of this migration, 

 says : — " In three pi'evious years — 174')., 1820, and 1857 — similar 



