UNCLE IN ENGLAND. 311 



though it exposed my ignorance, gave me an 

 opportunity of perceiving how much light is 

 thrown by general knowledge on the difficult 

 parts of Scripture history ; and, indeed, on all 

 other history. I had asked how it was that the 

 locusts, independently of their coming at the 

 appointed moment, could have been called one 

 of the miraculous plagues, as they were so com- 

 mon in Egypt. I saw my cousins looking a little 

 surprised, but they are so good-natured that they 

 never laugh at my mistakes. 



My uncle explained to me that I was wrong 

 in supposing that locusts were common in Egypt. 

 " They are very abundant," he said, " in the 

 neighbouring regions of Arabia, which has been 

 proverbially called their cradle, but the Red Sea 

 appears to be an effectual barrier against their 

 molesting the Egyptians. They seldom succeed 

 in crossing any great extent of water ; for though 

 they frequently migrate into very distant coun- 

 tries, yet their habit of often alighting on the 

 ground is fatal to them in traversing the sea. 



" There is another circumstance that saves 

 Egypt from the visits of these dreadful insects ; 

 when they take wing they are obliged to follow 

 the course of the wind, and in that country, 

 you know, the winds blow six months from the 

 north, and six months from the south ; but, at the 

 time spoken of, an east wind prevailed ' all day 

 and all night $' and the whole face of the country 



