THE ANIMAL KINGDOM. 327 



In every age man has attempted to repel these formida- 

 ble invasions. In ancient times severe laws ordained the 

 massacre of the wandering insects. In the island of Lem- 

 nos, each private person was compelled to bring to the 

 magistrate a certain number of measures of locusts as an- 

 nual tribute. Pliny relates that in Cyrenaica the law even 

 compelled the people to make an exterminating war upon 

 them three days per year. Any citizen who refused was 

 punished as a deserter. 



The old naturalist maintains that in Syria the Roman 

 legions were sometimes employed for this purpose. A 

 similar course has been adopted on various occasions in 

 modern times. 



M. Virey tells us that in Transylvania recourse was had 

 to soldiers for the same purpose. Entire regiments collected 

 locusts, and 1500 men were occupied solely in crushing, 

 burning, and burying the living harvest. This happened in 

 1780, but the year following the pest reappeared, and its 

 ravages assumed such proportions that, in order to combat 

 it, they were obliged to call out the entire population. Not- 

 withstanding this, a large number of districts were utterly 

 ruined. 



Ibrahim Pacha more recently employed his whole army 



we could not see before us till we had passed the place where they were. Wher- 

 ever these locusts rested they made frightful havoc, devouring every green thing 

 to the very roots, so that, instead of the beautiful verdure with which the country 

 was formerly covered, only a dry and sandy land could be seen. No one would 

 have believed that so small an animal could cross the sea, if experience had not 

 so often convinced those poor people of the fact; yet, after having passed a small 

 arm of the Euxine Sea, these insects traverse great provinces, where they de- 

 stroy everything they meet with, and even gnaw the doors of the houses." His- 

 toire MUUaire de Charles XII., t. iv., p. 160. 



