LOCUST. 135 



to lessen their numbers than totally destroy them; 

 for many of them lurk under the grass or thick 

 corn, and in the fissures of the ground from the 

 sun's heat: wherefore it is requisite to repeat this 

 operation several times, in order to diminish their 

 numbers, and consequently the damage done by 

 them. It will likewise be of use, where a large 

 troop of them has Celled, to dig a long trench, of 

 an ell width and depth, and place several persons 

 along its edges, provided with brooms and such- 

 like things, while another numerous set of people 

 form a semicircle that takes in both ends of the 

 trench, and encompasses the locusts, and, by mak- 

 ing the noise above-mentioned, drive them into 

 the trench, out of which if they attempt to escape, 

 those on the edges are to sweep them back, and 

 then crush them with their brooms and stakes, 

 and bury them by throwing in the earth again. 

 But when they have begun to fly, there should be 

 horsemen upon the watch in the fields, who, upon 

 any appearance of the swarm taking wing, should 

 immediately alarm the neighbourhood by a certain 

 signal, that they might come and fright them from 

 their lands by all sorts of noise; and if tired with 

 flying, they happen to pitch on a waste piece of 

 land, it will be very easy to kill them with sticks 

 and brooms in the evening or esrlv in the morn- 



V 



ing, while they are wet with the dew; or anytime 

 of the day in rainy weather, for then they are not 

 able to fly. I have alrea-!v taken notice that, if 

 the weather be cold or wet in autumn, they gene- 

 rally hide themselves in secret places, where they 



