438 History of Animal PlagtLcs. 



the midst of those vast vineyards which surround the metropolis 

 of Moldavia ; and at the first I collected a good many specimens 

 of insects^ but after a little while some infection came and drove 

 them all away. Two years later I revisited Jassy, at the same time 

 of the year, but under more favourable auspices; I then saw plenty 

 of all kinds of insects. I believe in the truth of the following ob- 

 servation, which is altogether curious, and which is derived from 

 the pharmacopola of Moscow, and is worthy of belief. For many 

 years back, swarms of small ants crept into the receptacles where 

 syrup was kept every summer, and they could never be extirpated 

 by any artifice ; but during the whole time of the plague not one 

 appeared, though in the year after it had disappeared they all 

 came back again. With regard to birds, it is related that the 

 smaller song-birds which lived in caves died of the disease in 

 their abodes, and that mice and dormice, however numerous 

 they may have been in former times, had now vanished ; for the 

 truth of this, however, I cannot vouch. But concerning many 

 birds, such as ravens, crows, magpies, and others, I am able to 

 affirm, that T observed a multitude of them at Moscow as usual, 

 but during this particular time, they became much scarcer, and 

 I have rarely been able to see any flying about. ^ ^ 



In India great clouds of flies were remarked, and in North 

 America a strange invasion of black worms occurred. These 

 were about an inch and a half long, and devoured corn and 

 grass. They were generated suddenly in the Northern States, 

 and so numerous were they that they covered a surface of 

 country equal to two or three hundred miles. These creatures 

 moved nearly all in the same direction, and when intercepted by 

 deep furrows in ploughed land, they fell into them and formed 

 great heaps. They disappeared all at once towards the end of 

 June.^ Rabies in dogs commenced in this part of the world at 

 this time.^ A tremendous shock of earthquake was experienced 

 in the month of June at St Domingo, which caused much havoc, 

 and destroyed a great part of the island. Famine followed this 



^ OrrcEus. Descriptio Pestis, &c., p. 63. 



^ New England Farmer, art. ' Infection.' 



2 Webster. A Hist, of Epid. and Pest. Diseases, 1800. 



