BEETLE. 23 



leaves, and quite withered away, so that thev 

 never recovered again. Their multitudes spread 

 so exceedingly that they infested houses, and be- 

 came extremely offensive and troublesome. Their 

 numerous young, hatched from the eggs which 

 they had lodged under ground, near the surface 

 of the earth, did still more harm in that close re- 

 tirement than all the flying swarms of their 

 parents had done abroad for this destructive 

 brood, lying under ground, eat up the roots of 

 corn and grass, and thus consumed the support 

 both of man and beast. This plague was happily 

 checked several wavs. High winds and wet 



*. 



misling weather destroyed many millions of them 

 in a day ; and when this constitution of the air pre- 

 vailed, they were so enfeebled that they would let 

 go their hold, and drop to the ground from the 

 branches, and so little a fall as this was sufficient 

 quite to disable, and sometimes perfectly kill them. 

 Xay it was observable that, even when they were 

 most vigorous, a slight blow would for some time 

 stun them, if not deprive them of life. During 

 these unfavourable seasons of the weather, the 

 swine and poultry of the country would watch 

 under the trees for their falling, and feed and 

 fatten upon them; and even the poorer sort of 

 the country people, the countrv then labouring 



o 



under a scarcity of provision, had a way of dressing 

 them, and lived upon them as food. In a little 

 time it was found that smoke was another thin 



o 



offensive to them, and by burning heath, 

 fern, &c. the gardens were secured, or if the 



