﻿686 
  EEPORT 
  UNITED»STATES 
  - 
  GEOLOGICAL 
  „ 
  SURVEY. 
  

  

  head, 
  and 
  leave 
  them 
  to 
  drop 
  to 
  the 
  ground. 
  * 
  * 
  * 
  * 
  Their 
  next 
  

   attack 
  was 
  upon 
  the 
  Indian 
  corn 
  and 
  potatoes. 
  They 
  stripped 
  the 
  leaves 
  

   and 
  ate 
  out 
  the 
  silk 
  from 
  the 
  corn, 
  so 
  that 
  it 
  -was 
  rare 
  to 
  harvest 
  a 
  full 
  

   ear. 
  Among 
  forty 
  or 
  fifty 
  bushels 
  of 
  corn 
  spread 
  out 
  in 
  the 
  dry-room, 
  

   not 
  an 
  ear 
  could 
  be 
  found 
  not 
  mottled 
  with 
  detached 
  kernels. 
  While 
  

   these 
  insects 
  were 
  more 
  than 
  usually 
  abundant 
  in 
  the 
  town 
  generally, 
  

   it 
  was 
  in 
  the 
  field 
  I 
  have 
  described 
  that 
  they 
  appeared 
  in 
  the 
  greatest 
  

   intensity. 
  After 
  they 
  had 
  stripj^ed 
  everything 
  from 
  the 
  field 
  they 
  began 
  

   to 
  emigrate 
  in 
  countless 
  numbers. 
  * 
  * 
  * 
  * 
  They 
  crossed 
  the 
  high- 
  

   way 
  and 
  attacked 
  the 
  vegetable-garden. 
  I 
  remember 
  the 
  curious 
  ap- 
  

   pearance 
  of 
  a 
  large, 
  flourishing 
  bed 
  of 
  red 
  onions, 
  whose 
  tops 
  they 
  first 
  

   literally 
  ate 
  up, 
  and, 
  not 
  contented 
  with 
  that, 
  devoured 
  the 
  interior 
  of 
  

   the 
  bulbs, 
  leaving 
  the 
  dry 
  external 
  covering 
  in 
  place. 
  * 
  * 
  * 
  * 
  The 
  

   leaves 
  were 
  stripped 
  from 
  the 
  apple-trees. 
  They 
  entered 
  the 
  house 
  in 
  

   swarms, 
  reminding 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  locusts 
  of 
  Egypt, 
  and 
  as 
  we 
  walked 
  they 
  

   would 
  rise 
  in 
  countless 
  numbers 
  and 
  fly 
  away 
  in 
  clouds. 
  As 
  the 
  nights 
  

   grew 
  cooler, 
  they 
  collected 
  on 
  the 
  spruce 
  and 
  hemlock 
  stumps 
  and 
  log 
  

   fences, 
  completely 
  covering 
  them, 
  eating 
  the 
  moss 
  and 
  decomposed 
  sur- 
  

   face 
  of 
  the 
  wood, 
  and 
  leaving 
  the 
  surface 
  clean 
  and 
  new. 
  They 
  would 
  

   perch 
  on 
  the 
  west 
  side 
  of 
  a 
  stump 
  where 
  they 
  could 
  feel 
  the 
  warmth 
  of 
  

   the 
  sun, 
  and 
  work 
  around 
  to 
  the 
  east 
  side 
  in 
  the 
  morning 
  as 
  the 
  sun 
  re- 
  

   appeared. 
  The 
  foot-paths 
  in 
  the 
  fields 
  were 
  literally 
  covered 
  with 
  their 
  

   excrements. 
  

  

  "During 
  the 
  latter 
  part 
  of 
  August 
  and 
  the 
  first 
  of 
  September, 
  when 
  the 
  

   air 
  was 
  still 
  dry, 
  and 
  for 
  several 
  days 
  in 
  succession, 
  a 
  high 
  wind 
  pre- 
  

   vailed 
  from 
  the 
  northwest, 
  the 
  locusts 
  frequently 
  rose 
  in 
  the 
  air 
  to 
  an 
  

   immense 
  height. 
  By 
  looking 
  up 
  at 
  the 
  sky 
  in 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  a 
  clear 
  day, 
  

   as 
  nearly 
  as 
  possible 
  in 
  the 
  direction 
  of 
  the 
  sun, 
  one 
  may 
  descry 
  a 
  

   locust 
  at 
  a 
  great 
  height. 
  These 
  insects 
  could 
  thus 
  be 
  seen 
  in 
  swarms, 
  

   appearing 
  like 
  so 
  many 
  thistle-blows 
  as 
  they 
  expanded 
  their 
  wings 
  and 
  

   were 
  borne 
  along 
  toward 
  the 
  sea 
  before 
  the 
  wind 
  ; 
  myriads 
  of 
  them 
  were 
  

   drowned 
  in 
  Casco 
  Bay 
  ; 
  and 
  I 
  remember 
  hearing 
  that 
  they 
  frequently 
  

   dropped 
  on 
  the 
  decks 
  of 
  coasting- 
  vessels. 
  Cart-loads 
  of 
  dead 
  bodies 
  

   remained 
  in 
  the 
  fields, 
  forming 
  in 
  spots 
  a 
  tolerable 
  coating 
  of 
  manure. 
  

  

  " 
  It 
  was 
  an 
  object 
  of 
  curiosity 
  to 
  me, 
  then 
  a 
  boy, 
  to 
  catch 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  

   largest 
  locusts, 
  and 
  turn 
  up 
  their 
  wings 
  to 
  find 
  tbe 
  little 
  red 
  parasite 
  

   which 
  covered 
  their 
  bodies. 
  This 
  might 
  have 
  done 
  something 
  toward 
  

   hastening 
  their 
  destruction, 
  although 
  it 
  did 
  not 
  prevent 
  the 
  ravages 
  on 
  

   the 
  crops. 
  

  

  " 
  During 
  the 
  years 
  necessary 
  to 
  clear 
  up 
  the 
  forests 
  on 
  the 
  sandy 
  lauds 
  

   in 
  the 
  vicinity, 
  it 
  was 
  no 
  uncommon 
  thing 
  to 
  have 
  the 
  crops 
  seriously 
  

   injured 
  by 
  these 
  locusts, 
  but 
  never, 
  to 
  my 
  knowledge, 
  to 
  the 
  extent 
  de- 
  

   scribed 
  above. 
  

  

  "In 
  response 
  to 
  my 
  special 
  inquiries 
  concerning 
  the 
  flight 
  of 
  these 
  

   insects, 
  my 
  correspondent 
  replied 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  ' 
  I 
  do 
  not 
  remember 
  ever 
  

   to 
  have 
  witnessed 
  the 
  flight 
  of 
  these 
  grasshoppers 
  to 
  any 
  extent, 
  except 
  

   during 
  the 
  year 
  mentioned 
  and 
  the 
  preceding 
  one. 
  Nor 
  do 
  I 
  ever 
  

   recollect 
  a 
  time 
  when 
  the 
  wind 
  blew 
  so 
  steadily 
  for 
  days 
  in 
  succession 
  

   from 
  the 
  northwest, 
  generally 
  rising 
  soon 
  after 
  midday 
  and 
  going 
  down 
  

   with 
  the 
  sun. 
  I 
  have 
  no 
  meteorological 
  record, 
  but 
  speak 
  from 
  memory.' 
  

  

  " 
  The 
  town 
  of 
  Pownal 
  was 
  principally 
  settled 
  after 
  the 
  opening 
  of 
  the 
  

   present 
  century. 
  As 
  the 
  lands 
  were 
  cleared, 
  the 
  Canada 
  thistle 
  and 
  

   other 
  species 
  sprang 
  up 
  in 
  great 
  quantities 
  ; 
  when 
  they 
  ripened, 
  the 
  

   wind 
  spoken 
  of 
  as 
  occurring 
  at 
  that 
  time 
  carried 
  off 
  immense 
  numbers 
  

   of 
  the 
  thistle-blows 
  to 
  the 
  ocean. 
  I 
  was 
  wont 
  to 
  spend 
  hours 
  in 
  my 
  

   I)oyhood 
  lying 
  on 
  the 
  ground 
  and 
  directing 
  my 
  eyes 
  as 
  near 
  as 
  I 
  could 
  

  

  