ORTHOPTERA. 3O/ 



country had so lately been the victim. In 1822 were spent again, in 

 Provence, 2,227 francs for the same object, In 1825 were spent 

 6,200 francs. A reward of 50 centimes was given for every kilo- 

 gramme of eggs, and half the sum for every kilogramme of insects. 

 The eggs collected were burnt, or else crushed under heavy rollers. 

 The gathering was entrusted to women and children. The operation 

 consisted in dragging along the ground great sheets, the corners of 

 which were held up. The locusts came and settled on these, and 

 were caught by rolling the sheet up. 



In the territory of Saintes-Maries, situated not far from Aigues- 

 Mortes, on the Mediterranean coast, 1,518 wheat sacks were filled 

 with dead locusts, amounting in weight to 68,861 kilogrammes; and 

 at Aries 165 sacks, or 6,600 kilogrammes. The rewards given 

 amounted to 5,542 francs ; but, notwithstanding all this, the following 

 year the locusts caused still greater damage. 



Locusts are always to be found in Algeria, in the provinces of 

 Oran, Bona, Algiers, and Bougia, but they never commit those terrible 

 ravages which change cultivated countries into deserts. There are 

 in Algeria years of locusts as there are with us years of cockroaches, 

 of blight, of caterpillars, &c. These plagues are fortunately rare. The 

 most terrible took place in 1845 and in 1866. In the former year a 

 formidable invasion of locusts took place. It lasted five months, from 

 March to July, each day bringing new bands of these devastating 

 insects ; and M. Henry Berthoud, then in Algeria, saw a column of 

 them, whose passage began before daylight, and had scarcely ended at 

 four o'clock in the afternoon. Dr. Guyon, doctor to the army, and 

 correspondent of the Institute, addressed to this learned body an 

 account of a few peculiarities of this invasion, of which he was a 

 witness. He speaks of a band which passed on the i6th of March 

 over the plain of Sebdon, going in the direction of the desert of 

 Angard. Their passage lasted three hours. The locusts, having 

 found nothing to devour in the desert, came back again, and next 

 day made a descent upon the plain of Sebdon, which is 30 kilometres 

 long, by 12 to 15 kilometres broad. In four hours all the crops were 

 devoured, and all vegetation destroyed. " The locusts," says the 

 Doctor, " left behind them an infectious odour of putrid herbs, pro- 

 duced by their excretions." 



At Algiers, in the Faubourg Bab-Azoum, they penetrated in 

 masses into the barley stores, and there was the greatest difficulty in 

 driving them away, great barricades being raised before the store- 

 rooms to stop the invasion. In 1845 they penetrated into the pits 

 in which the natives preserve their wheat. According to the report 



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