72 A NATURALIST IN THE TRANSVAAL. 



our path. The light was obscured as with clouds of 

 dust, whilst to walk through the flitting insects re- 

 minded one of the driving snow-flakes at home, as the 

 pale hyaline wings and not the dark tegmina are ob- 

 servable during flight*. Stragglers continually fell 

 out of the ranks, and we heard them drop on the iron 

 roof of our dwelling. The flight was directed at 

 different angles of one common direction, and stragglers 

 constantly kept up a small counter-stream to the main 

 body. The ground was thickly covered, and at sunset 

 most of the flight had probably settled for the night. 

 The heaviest portion of the main body, which might 

 be described as the centre of the army, crossed us in 

 about half an hour, but the flight continued long 

 after and before. Their extraordinary numbers could 

 be appreciated by the non-observable effect of their 

 immense losses. Myriads were trodden under foot, our 

 Kafir workmen collected them for food f , the poultry 

 of Pretoria gorged themselves on their bodies. Two 

 Crowned Guinea-fowls (Numida coronata) which I kept 

 in confinement, and were always supplied with food, 

 devoured so many of the locusts that I feared that they 

 must die of repletion J; a large " Gom Paauw " (Otis 

 Jcori) that we shot shortly afterwards had its crop 

 crammed with the bodies of these invaders, but the 

 great cloud seemed to suffer no diminution. On the 

 next morning the ground was thickly strewn with the 

 locusts ; but they took wing as the sunlight became 



* Carl Lumholtz was also reminded of a snow-storm whilst standing 

 among a swarm of locusts in Queensland ('Among Cannibals/ p. 186). 



t Holub, after eating these insects, felt he "could recommend a few locusts 

 to any gourmand who, surfeited with other delicacies, requires a dish of 

 peculiar piquancy ; in flavour I should consider them not unlike a dried and 

 strongly-salted Italian anchovy " (* Seven Years in South Africa/ vol. i. 

 p. 199). 



According to Livingstone, "locusts are often roasted and pounded into meal, 

 when they will keep for months. Boiled they are disagreeable, but when 

 roasted I much prefer them to shrimps, though I would avoid both if possible " 

 (' Popular Account of Missionary Travels and Researches in S. Africa/ 

 new ed. p. 31). 



| Mohr's ostriches " ate locusts from morning till night, and four of them 

 soon afterwards died of dyspepsia " ( l To the Victoria Falls of the Zambesi.' 

 p. 201). 



