820 
till evening, without halting, fre- 
quently at the rate of one hundred 
fathoms and upwards in the course 
ofaday. Although they prefer to 
march along high-roads, foot-paths, 
or open tra¢éts; yet, when their 
progress is opposed by bushes, 
hedges, and ditches, they penctrate 
through them: their way can only 
be impeded by the waters of brooks 
or canals; as they are apparently 
terrified at every kind of moisture. 
Often, however, they endeavour to 
gain the opposite bank with the aid 
of overhanging boughs ; and if the 
stalks of plants or shrubs be laid 
across the water, they pass in close 
columns over these temporary 
bridges ; on which they seem to 
rest, and enjoy the refreshing cool- 
ness. ‘Towards sun set, the whole 
swarm gradually colleét in parties, 
and creep up the plants, or encamp 
on slight eminences. Woe, then, 
to the vineyards in which such 
swarm settles for the night ; and if 
the following day should happen to 
be cold, cloudy, or rainy, (in which 
weather they never travel), they 
not only consume all the weeds and 
vine leaves in it, but frequently, 
when the weeds do not supply them 
with sufficient nutriment and exer- 
cise, they completely strip the bark 
and buds off the young twigs ; so 
that these shoots remain, through- 
out the summer, as white as chalk 
and full of sap, without producing 
fresh foliage. ‘The same fate awaits 
those places on which they settle 
for the purpose of casting their 
skins. It is a remarkable circum- 
stance, that, while the vine blossoms 
continue closed, the insect does not 
attack them; but, as soon as they 
are blown, it devours the whole of 
them in the most rapacious manner, 
the stalk only being spared. The 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 1803. 
plants, which they formerly cons 
sumed with the greatest avidity, 
were those chiefly occurring in vine- 
yards ; such as the Carduus tata- 
ricus, Salvia nemorosa, Millefolium, 
Melilotus Cerinthe; the fetid and 
poisonous Conium maculatum, which 
does not prove fatal to them; the 
Asparagus volubilis, Ebulus, Coro- 
nilla varia, and Valentina ; various 
kinds of Geranium, Linum and Inula 
centaurea solstitialis, and all bitter 
vegetables. On the other hand, 
they did not prey upon any kinds 
of grasses ; some species of grain were 
also exempt from their depredations, 
especially millet; as well as sedge, 
which is the favourite food of the 
great erratic locust ; together with 
the Aristolochia clematitis, that also 
luxuriantly grows in the vineyards ; 
the Clematis vitalba, the different 
Euphorbia, Rumexpatientia, Mentha 
silvestris, Artemisia maritima, Con- 
tra, Pontica, and Austriaca; the 
rough Kchia; all-the species of the 
Atriplex and Salsola, the Stellera 
passserina, the milky Sonchus, Chon- 
drilla, and Prenanthes, Rhus cotinus, 
and Coriaria. After having con- 
sumed every other vegetable, they 
attack the caper buds, the Beta cy- 
cla, and the various Euphorbia ; to 
the latter of which it must probably 
be ascribed that many inseéts (while - 
they were casting their skins for the 
last time), in the year above alluded 
to, firmly attached themselves to 
the stalks of tall plants, and even to 
trees, where they ultimately pe- 
rished. 
Among the innumerable swarms 
of the young brood of the Gryllus 
téalicus, which has a blackish ap- 
pearance, the larger larvae of that 
species, as well as of the Gryllus 
cerulescens, were seen but thinly 
interspersed during their march. 
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