90 GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION. 



seldom exceed latitude 42. but in N. America, 

 there is a species of Locust or Grass-hopper, as 

 Dr. Richardson informs me, according to the 

 report of the Indians, becoming prevalent about 

 once in twenty years, which committed great 

 devastations at lord Selkirk's colony of Red river, 

 as high as latitude 52. They made their first 

 appearance in vast flights coming from the plains 

 to the westward, and soon destroyed the crops of 

 grain, and every thing green. They re-appeared 

 for three or four successive summers, each year 

 in smaller numbers, and now for several years 

 they have not been seen. 



These were evidently insects of the same order 

 and tribe with the locust, though perhaps of a dif- 

 ferent genus ; but, probably the tradition of the 

 Indians might relate to another North American 

 devastator, which is also called there the Locust, 

 but belongs to a genus beloved by the Greeks for 

 its song, and hated by the less imaginative Romans 

 for its stunning noise, which may be called the 

 Tree Locust ; a species of which is said to ap- 

 pear, about once in every seventeen years, 1 in 

 such prodigious numbers as to do incalculable 

 damage to the fruit and forest trees, in which it 

 deposits its eggs, and upon which it feeds inter- 

 nally in the grub state, but the oral organs of the 

 perfect insect are only calculated for suction. 



Amongst quadrupeds, the analogues, in some 



1 Cicada septendecim. L. 



