mences, 
NATURAL HISTORY. 
thousand paces; in breadth it 
could scarcely exceed a hundred. 
It is difficult to conceive how so 
_prodigious a number of these vo- 
_racious insects can find sufficient 
nourishment, in so naked a coun- 
try, till they arrive at maturity; 
_ since we must take it for granted 
_that the number of the larve 
greatly exceeds that of the per- 
fect animal. Probably sudden 
prolific showers, which for a 
while renew vegetation, may at 
the same time assist the hatching 
of the eggs, and the develop- 
ment of the young larve; yet 
this supposition is not alittle con- 
tradicted by the observation that 
such swarms are seen at all times 
of the year, even after a long and 
general drought, and in countries 
themostbareof vegetation. Onmy 
first journey [ once found in the 
lower Bokkeveld a whole field 
strewed over with the larve of 
another sort of insect: they sat 
by hundreds on a bush, gnawing 
the rind, andthe woody fibres; 
every thing around was devour- 
ed, and ‘nothing was to be seen 
which appeared capable of af- 
fording subsistence to these crea- 
tures: it was evident that they 
_ must have been hatched upon the 
spot. We may therefore presume 
that the eggs are hatched very 
suddenly, and that the young ani- 
mals require little nourishment ; 
that it is not till they become 
perfect, at the time when vegeta- 
tion becomes more abundant, 
that their extreme voracity com- 
The locusts of southern 
Africa have hitherto been sup- 
posed the same as those which in- 
fest Asia and some of the south- 
easterly parts of Europe, gryllus 
tataricus; but on the examination 
Vor. LVII. 
4.97 
of some specimens which I pre- 
served, they are determined to be 
a very different species, and they 
now bear their appropriate name 
of Gryllus devastator. 
GIRAFFE. 
(From the Same.) 
We had soarcely travelled an 
hour, when the Hottentots called 
our attention to some objection a 
-hill not far off on the left hand 
which seemed to move, The 
head of something appeared al- 
most immediately after, feeding 
on the other side of the hill; and 
it was concluded that it must be 
that of a very large animal: this 
was confirmed, when, after going 
scarcely a hundred steps farther, 
two tall swan-necked giraffes stood 
almost directly before us. Our 
transports were indescribable, 
particularly as the creaturesthem- 
selves did not perceive us, and 
therefore gave us full time to 
examine them, and to prepare for 
an earnest and serious chace. The 
one was smaller, and of a paler 
colour than. the other, which 
Vischer immediately pronounced 
to be a colt, the child of the 
larger. Our horses were saddled, 
and our guns loaded in an in- 
stant when the chace commenc- 
ed. Since all the wild animals 
of Africa run against the wind, 
so that we were pretty well as- 
sured which way the course 
of these objects of our ardent 
wishes wouldbedirected, Vischer, 
as the most experienced hunter, 
separated himself from us, and, 
by acircuit, took the animals in 
front, that he might stop their 
2K q 
