CH. XJl.] THE LOCUST, ETC. 181 



sylvfmians found that the swarms which entered 

 oui fields by the Red Tower did not seem to intend 

 remaining there, but were thrown to the ground by 

 the force of the wind, and there laid their eggs ; a 

 vast number of which being turned up and crushed 

 by the plough, in the ensuing spring, yielded a yel- 

 lowish juice. 



"In the spring of 1748, certain little blackish 

 worms were seen lying in the fields and among 

 the bushes, sticking together, and collected in clus- 

 ters, not unlike the hillocks of moles and ants. As 

 nobody knew what they were, there was little or 

 no notice taken of them, and in May they were 

 covered by the shooting of the corn sown in win- 

 ter; but the subsequent June showed what these 

 worms were ; for then, as the corn sown in the 

 spring was pretty high, these creatures began to 

 spread over the fields, and became destructive to 

 the vegetables by their number. Then the country 

 people, who had slighted the warning given to them, 

 began to repent of their negligence; for as these 

 insects were dispersed all over the fields, they could 

 not be extirpated without injuring the corn. At 

 that time they differed little or nothing from our 

 common grasshopper, having their head, sides, and 

 back of a dark colour, with a yellow belly, and the 

 rest of a reddish hue. About the middle of June, 

 according as they were hatched, sooner or later, 

 they were generally a finger's length or somewhat 

 longer ; but their shape and colour still continued. 

 Towards the end of June they cast off their outward 

 covering, and then it plainly appeared that they had 

 wings very like the wings of bees, but as yet un- 

 ripe and unexpanded ; and then their bodies were 

 very tender, and of a yellowish green ; in order to 

 render themselves fit for flying, they gradually un- 

 folded their wings with their hinder feet, as flies do ; 

 and as soon as any of them found themselves able 

 to use their wings they soared up, and flying round 



VOL. II. Q 



