160 LOCUST. 



appearance in the spring of the year 1732, 

 from flights which had deposited their eggs 

 in the ground the preceding year. They 

 attacked and devoured the young spike of 

 the wheat, &c. and this chiefly by night, 

 and thus laid waste many acres at a time, 

 beyond all hope of recovery. In the 46th 

 volume of the same Transactions, we find a 

 description of the ravages of these animals 

 in Walachia, Moldavia, Transylvania, Hun- 

 gary, and Poland, in the years 1747 and 

 1748. 



The first swarms entered Transylvania in 

 August, 1747: these were succeeded by 

 others, which were so surprisingly nume- 

 rous, that when they reached the Red Tower, 

 they were full four hours in their passage 

 over that place ; and they flew so close that 

 they made a sort of noise in the air by the 

 beating of their wings against one another. 

 The width of the swarm was some hundreds 

 of fathoms, and its height or density may 

 be easily imagined to be more considerable, 

 inasmuch as they hid the sun, and darkened 

 the sky, even to that degree, when they 

 flew low, that people could not know one 



t. 



