THE PALMER- WORM. 223 



ground from the branches where they stuck, and so little a fall as 

 this, at that time, was of sufficient force quite to disable, and some- 

 times perfectly kill them. Nay, it was observable, that even when 

 they were most agile and vigorous, a slight blow or offence would 

 for some time hinder their motion, if not deprive them of life, which 

 was very extraordinary in a creature of that strength and vivacity 

 in its flight. During these unfavorable seasons of weather, the swine 

 and poultry of the country at length grew so cunning, as to watch 

 under the trees for their falling ; and when they came to the ground 

 eat them up in abundance, being much pleased with the food, and 

 thriving well upon the diet ; nay, I have been assured, that the 

 poorer sort of the native Irish (the country then laboring under a 

 scarcity of provision) had a way of dressing them, and lived upon 

 them as food ; nor is it strange, that what fattened our domestic 

 poultry and hogs, should afford agreeable and sufficient nourish- 

 ment for the relief of man. 



'But towards the latter end of the summer, the exact time I have 

 not learnt, they constantly eased the country, and retired of them-, 

 selves ; and so wholly disappeared, that in a few days you should 

 not see one left in all those parts that were so lately pestered with 

 them. 



' This pernicious insect of ours, I am fully convinced from good 

 reasons, is that self-same so often mentioned in holy Scripture, and 

 commonly joined in company with the locust, as being both great 

 destroy ers of the fruits of the earth.' 



THE CATERPILLAR. 



IN Hebrew this insect is called the consumer, and in 1 Kings viii, 

 37 ; 2 Chron. vi. 28 ; Joel i. 4 ; chap. ii. 25 ; it is distinguished 

 from the locust properly so called. In Joel i. 4, it is mentioned as 

 eating up what the other species had left, and therefore might well 

 be called the consumer, by way of eminence. But the ancient in- 

 terpreters are far from being agreed what particular species it sig^ 

 nifies. 



THE PALMER- WORM. 



BOCHART is of opinion that this insect is a kind of locust, fur- 

 nished with very sharp teeth, with which it gnaws off grass, corn, 

 leaves of trees, and even their bark. The Jews support this idea 



