22 BEETLE. 



of Galway, brought thither by a south-west wind, 

 one of the most common, I might almost say 

 trade-winds, of this country. From hence they 

 penetrated into the inland parts towards Hedd- 

 ford, about twelve miles north of the town of 

 Gal way: here and there in the adjacent country 

 multitudes of them appeared among the trees and 

 hedges in the day-time, hanging by the boughs 

 in clusters, like bees when they swarm. In this 

 posture they continued, with little or no motion, 

 during the heat of the sun; but towards evening 

 or sunset they would all disperse and fly about 

 with a strange humming noise like the beating of 

 distant drums, and in such vast numbers that they 

 darkened the air for the space of two or three 

 miles square. Persons travelling on the roads, or 

 abroad in the fields, found it very uneasy to make 

 their way through them, they would so beat and 

 knock themselves against their faces in their flight, 

 and with such a force as to make the place smart, 

 and leave a slight mark behind them. In a short 

 time after their coming, they had so entirely eat 

 up and destroyed all the leaves of the trees for 

 some miles round, that the whole country, though 

 in the middle of summer, was left as bare as in 

 the depth of winter ; and the noise they made in 

 gnawing the leaves made a sound much resem- 

 bling the sawing of timber. They also came into 

 the gardens and destroyed the buds, blossoms, 

 and leaves of all the fruit-trees, so that they were 

 left perfectly naked; nay many that were more 

 delicate than the rest, lost their sap as well as 



