NATURAL HISTORY. 
in July and August, proceeding from 
the sea-coast into the valley ; and 
where they found no weeds in the 
vineyards, they stripped all the 
yines of their leaves, especially along 
. the borders of plantations, and in 
the direétion taken by the swarm. 
The clusters of large, but unripe 
grapes, remained till the end of 
September, on these denuded vines, 
withont increasing in size, filling 
with juice, or ripening; so that 
they were hard and green like pease, 
and thus afforded ocular demon- 
stration of the detriment that must 
arise from the practice of plucking 
the leaves from vines, which is re- 
commended by many cultivators.* 
It was not till Oétober, when the 
vines had again acquired leaves from 
_ the collateral buds, that they ripened 
though imperfectly, and afforded a 
bad acidulous must. In a winged 
state, these locusts at length devour- 
ed the foliage of the trees; and the 
Fraxinus ornus, or manna-ash, in 
particular, was every where seen 
stripped to its very summit; nor 
were orange and nut trees exempted 
from their depredations. On the 
eminences, where the soil was rather 
loose, they were observed in com- 
‘panies, depositing the eggs in holes, 
which they bored with their jagged 
posteriors, and which already af- 
forded a bad omen for the ensuing 
year. Great numbers of them, 
however, were carried by northerly 
winds into the sea, where they pe- 
rished, and were afterwards washed 
on shore in heaps. 
819 
The severe winter of 1799-1800, 
instead of diminishing these vermin, 
seemed rather to have favoured their 
propagation. In the beginning of 
May, the young brood appeared 
every where in Jarge swarms, and 
especially in the southern vallies, at 
first taking their course towards the 
sea, but afterwards moving to and 
fro in various dire¢tions. Some of 
the swarms consisted of innumera- 
ble millions ; and frequently, where 
they lodged, formed an entire black 
covering over the ground upwards 
of an hundred fathoms in length, 
and from forty to fifty in breadth. 
In serene warm weather, the locusts 
are in full motion in the morning, 
immediately after the evaporation of 
the dew ; and, if no dew has fallen, 
they appear as soon as the sun im- 
parts his genial warmth. At first, 
some are seen running about, like 
messengers, among the reposing 
swarms, which are lying partly come 
pressed upon the ground at the side 
of small eminences, and partly at- 
tached to tall plants and shrubs. 
Shortly after, the whole body begins 
to move forward in one direétion, 
and with little deviation. They re- 
semble a swarm of ants, all taking 
the same course, at small distances, 
but without touching each other; 
they uniformly travel towards a cer- 
tain region, as fast as a fly can run, 
and without leaping, unless pur- 
sued ; in which case, indeed, they 
disperse, but soon colleét and fol- 
low their former route, In _ this 
manner, they advance from morning 
3G2 till 
y 
* The only work on the subject of gardening in which I find the plucking of the 
leaves reprobated, and their utility in nourishing and ripening the fruit, and per- 
fecting the buds against the next year, properly inculcated, is “ La Pratique du 
Jardinage, par M.l’Abbé Roger Chabol,” 
Paris. 1770. 8vo, 11. partie. p. 656. a 
work that, on the whole, evinces great experience. The leaves are certainly the or- 
gans, by which plants not only imbibe moisture, but also decompose the air and ins 
* Spire the requisite portion of caloric and oxygen, 
