44 THE entomologist's record, 



sea over the Atlantic, and that contrary winds drove them back, a few 

 only of the swarm reaching our shores. 



It may he well here to refer to a paper by Mr. Roebuck, entitled 

 "Locusts in Yorkshire" (XatKyalist, 1876). From this we learn that 

 locusts were recorded under the name of Lucmta christii, Curt, (supposed 

 by ]\IcLachlan to be Pac/njtyhis mi[iratoriun), from Yorkshire, Derby, 

 Stafford, Chesterfield, and Burton-on-Trent, in September, 1842, the 

 greater number of examples being noticed, however, in the Holderness 

 district. In September, 1846, a much greater flight was recorded, the 

 whole coast between the Humber and Tweed having been the scene of 

 the inroad of the locusts, whilst a cloud of them was reported to have 

 settled temporarily near Spurn Point. Besides those reported from 

 Northumberland, Durham, and Yorkshire, examples were observed in 

 Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Essex, Kent, the London district, Cambridge, 

 Rutland, Leicester, Nottingham, Worcester, Glamorgan, the Isle of 

 Wight, Devon, and Cornwall. The more western and south-western 

 records were chiefly of single examples, and there is little doubt that 

 the swarm struck the east coast and was distributed therefrom. There 

 is some doubt as to what the species really was. It was generally 

 reported as Grijllm (Pachi/ti/li(f<) inii/ratorius, and it is worthy of note 

 that in 1844 this species was abundant in southern Russia, and from 

 1845-1847 occurred in northern Germany, Belgium, and Sweden. It is 

 essentially an eastern species, appearing in the west of Europe only as 

 an immigrant, but possibly being able to reproduce itself for a year or 

 two under favourable conditions. Probably this was the case in Britain in 

 1847, for the same insect was recorded from many of the eastern 

 counties, although Rudd's note that on August 19th he picked up on 

 the beach at Redcar twelve drowned locusts and saw many others in 

 the same state, suggests that another immigration may have occurred. 

 The next important invasion appears to have been in August, 1857, 

 when large numbers were recorded from Y^orkshire and other eastern 

 counties, with a smaller number from Scotland, Ireland, and the west 

 of England {K)it. Wceldy Int., iii., p. 9). We have already referred to 

 the visitation of our western counties hy Schistocerca pcrciirina in 1869, 

 but during the autumn of the same year an invasion of the east coast 

 of Aberdeen by iV/r////f///».s cincrasci'ns isrecorded, the main flight having 

 been observed about Aberdeen. In 1876 a considerable number of 

 specimens of Pachnti/lxs cineraacens was recorded from Yorkshire. As 

 these were carefully named by McLachlan and Selys, the suggestion 

 occurs that many of the earlier (and rather carelessly made) records 

 may also refer to this species, although most of them are noted as P. 

 mviratoriHu. It is the opinion of Selys that P. cineraNccm breeds 

 regularly in Britain (as it is reported to do in Belgium), bi;t the 

 absence of immature specimens in this country is against the supposi- 

 tion. As with certain Lepidoptera, it is possible that immigrating 

 swarms of certain Orthoptera having reached I>ritain, a few stragglers 

 survive the climatic conditions of a single winter and breed here, 

 the unsuitable environment, however, preventing the species from 

 maintaining themselves. 



To return to Sc/ii.st<icerca percyrina. Enormous flights of this 

 species have frequently been observed off the coasts of Asia and Africa. 

 Their dead bodies have often been washed up in such vast quantities 

 that banks several feet in depth have been formed along the shores. 



