No. 144.] 217 



leap, without reason, experience or memory, and thus gain their 

 position, wlien they immediately burrow, follow the roots of 

 plants, using their beaks to imbibe the vegetable nouri^hment. 

 They nev^er descend very deeply into the earth, but remain 

 about the tender fibres of the roots. The only change they ap- 

 pear to undergo in their subterranean pilgrimage of seventeen 

 long years is increase of size. As the time of their transforma- 

 tion approaches, they rise to near the surface of the earth, form 

 cemented cells, in which they pass their pupa state, after which 

 they buist the skin on the back and ascend the first tree, and 

 again perform their septemdecimal offices of generation. 



Dr. Potter states, that during several successive nights he 

 ■watched over 1500 pnpa arise from beneath one apple tree, and 

 in six weeks the whole generation had passed away. They have 

 many checks to their increase. The growth of the tree frequently 

 encloses them, and the eggs perish. The young are eaten by ants 

 and some binis most greedily ; and when their subterranean pil- 

 grimage is accomplished, and they form their waterproof cells 

 lor transformation, hogs devour them in vast numbers. The first 

 account we find of this locust is in Secretary Morton's Memorials, 

 in which he says, " There was a numerous company of flies, which 

 were like for bigness unto bumblebees, which appeared in Ply- 

 mouth in 1G63. They came out of the earth by little holes, and 

 did eat up the green things, and made such a constant yelling 

 noise as made the woods ring of them, and ready to deafen the 

 hearer." 



Judge Davis, in his Appendix to Morton's Memorial, states that 

 these insects appeared in Plymouth and Sandwich in 180-1, which 

 differs one year from the stated period. Rev. E. Goodwin says, 

 the locusts appeared in Sandwich ] 7th June, 1821. Their last 

 previous appearance was in 1801, and pr. viously to that in 1787. 

 I have carefully collected these facts fiom occurrences of events, 

 says he, which transpired on locust year, and which events all 

 concur with these dates, Mr. G. slates that he particularly noted 

 the actions of myriads, but never saw one eat a single morsel, their 

 entire action being that of procreation. 



