﻿LOCUSTS 
  ON 
  THE 
  STEPPES 
  AND 
  IN 
  GEORGIA. 
  45 
  

  

  dirty 
  white, 
  with 
  gray 
  spots. 
  The 
  latter, 
  I 
  was 
  told, 
  have 
  a 
  whitish 
  gray 
  body 
  and 
  

   white 
  wings. 
  

  

  He 
  states 
  that 
  the 
  former 
  are 
  much 
  less 
  dreaded 
  than 
  the 
  latter. 
  

  

  Pallas 
  81 
  asserts 
  that 
  Gryllus 
  italicus 
  appears 
  annually 
  on 
  the 
  dry 
  emi- 
  

   nences 
  in 
  the 
  arid 
  southern 
  regions 
  from 
  the 
  European 
  boundary 
  as 
  far 
  

   as 
  the 
  Irtish 
  and 
  the 
  mountains 
  of 
  Altai, 
  but 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  only 
  in 
  particular 
  

   years 
  it 
  multiplies 
  in 
  such 
  numbers 
  as 
  to 
  become 
  pernicious. 
  The 
  larger 
  

   species, 
  G. 
  migratorius, 
  which 
  is 
  also 
  common 
  in 
  this 
  region, 
  is 
  also 
  fre- 
  

   quently 
  observed 
  mingled 
  to 
  a 
  certain 
  extent 
  in 
  the 
  swarms 
  of 
  the 
  

   former. 
  Dr. 
  Clark, 
  who 
  traveled 
  over 
  the 
  steppes 
  of 
  Tartary, 
  observed 
  

   immense 
  swarms 
  of 
  both 
  species; 
  but 
  has 
  confused 
  the 
  names 
  of 
  the 
  

   species 
  by 
  designating 
  the 
  former 
  (0. 
  italicus) 
  as 
  G. 
  migratorius 
  and 
  the 
  

   latter 
  (P. 
  migratorius) 
  as 
  G. 
  tartaricus. 
  He 
  says 
  his 
  guide 
  informed 
  

   him 
  that 
  instances 
  had 
  occurred 
  of 
  persons 
  being 
  suffocated 
  by 
  a 
  fall 
  

   of 
  locusts 
  on 
  the 
  steppes. 
  82 
  

  

  In 
  1770, 
  great 
  swarms 
  of 
  G. 
  migratorius 
  appeared 
  north 
  of 
  the 
  Irtish 
  

   in 
  the 
  Barbara 
  Steppe. 
  83 
  On 
  the 
  west 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  Caspian 
  Sea 
  the 
  locust 
  

   plague 
  appeared 
  in 
  Georgia 
  and 
  near 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  Volga, 
  almost 
  

   always 
  with 
  the 
  south 
  wind, 
  borne 
  in 
  great 
  clouds 
  out 
  of 
  Eriwan 
  toward 
  

   Georgia 
  and 
  Daghistan. 
  84 
  

  

  The 
  following, 
  from 
  a 
  daily 
  paper, 
  applies 
  to 
  1878 
  or 
  1879 
  : 
  

  

  A 
  plague 
  of 
  locmts. 
  — 
  A 
  detachment 
  of 
  Eussian 
  troops, 
  bound 
  for 
  General 
  Lazeroff 
  a 
  

   expedition 
  against 
  the 
  Turcomans, 
  met 
  with 
  a 
  curious 
  misadventure 
  near 
  the 
  Georgian 
  

   town 
  of 
  Elizavetopol. 
  At 
  a 
  few 
  versts 
  from 
  the 
  town 
  the 
  soldiers 
  encountered 
  the 
  

   wing 
  of 
  an 
  army 
  of 
  locusts, 
  reputed 
  to 
  be 
  twenty 
  miles 
  in 
  length 
  and 
  broad 
  in 
  propor- 
  

   tion. 
  The 
  officers 
  in 
  charge 
  did 
  not 
  like 
  to 
  turn 
  back, 
  repelled 
  by 
  mere 
  insects, 
  and, 
  

   pushing 
  on, 
  soon 
  became 
  surrounded 
  by 
  the 
  locusts. 
  These 
  appeared 
  to 
  have 
  mistaken 
  

   the 
  soldiers 
  for 
  trees, 
  and 
  swarmed 
  by 
  thousands 
  around 
  them, 
  " 
  crawling 
  over 
  their 
  

   bodies, 
  lodging 
  themselves 
  inside 
  their 
  helmets, 
  penetrating 
  their 
  clothes 
  and 
  their 
  

   knapsacks, 
  filling 
  the 
  barrels 
  of 
  their 
  rifles, 
  and 
  striving 
  to 
  force 
  themselves 
  into 
  the 
  

   unfortunate 
  men's 
  ears 
  and 
  noses." 
  The 
  commander 
  gave 
  the 
  order 
  for 
  the 
  troops 
  to- 
  

   push 
  on 
  double-quick 
  for 
  Elizavetopol, 
  but 
  the 
  road 
  was 
  so 
  blocked 
  with 
  locusts 
  that 
  

   the 
  soldiers 
  grew 
  frightened, 
  and, 
  after 
  wavering 
  a 
  few 
  minutes, 
  a 
  regular 
  stampede 
  

   took 
  place. 
  

  

  Led 
  by 
  a 
  non-commissioned 
  officer 
  of 
  keen 
  vision, 
  who 
  had 
  observed 
  a 
  few 
  huts 
  a 
  

   short 
  distance 
  from 
  the 
  road, 
  the 
  troops 
  dashed 
  across 
  the 
  fields, 
  " 
  slipping 
  about 
  

   over 
  the 
  crushed 
  and 
  greasy 
  bodies 
  of 
  locusts 
  as 
  though 
  they 
  had 
  been 
  on 
  ice." 
  The 
  

   huts 
  were 
  soon 
  reached, 
  and 
  the 
  officers 
  rushed 
  inside, 
  but 
  the 
  refuge 
  proved 
  to 
  be 
  of 
  

   little 
  value, 
  as 
  the 
  premises 
  were 
  already 
  in 
  the 
  possession 
  of 
  the 
  enemy. 
  The 
  peas- 
  

   ants 
  told 
  the 
  correspondent 
  of 
  the 
  Kavkas 
  that 
  for 
  days 
  they 
  had 
  been 
  besieged 
  by 
  the 
  

   vermin, 
  the 
  insects 
  filling 
  the 
  wells 
  and 
  tainting 
  the 
  water, 
  crowding 
  into 
  the 
  ovens* 
  

   and 
  spoiling 
  the 
  bread 
  and 
  preventing 
  any 
  food 
  being 
  cooked 
  or 
  stored. 
  At 
  intervals 
  

   the 
  villagers 
  issued 
  from 
  their 
  houses 
  and 
  made 
  onslaughts 
  on 
  the 
  locusts, 
  killing 
  

   them 
  by 
  thousands, 
  and 
  carting 
  them 
  away 
  afterward 
  to 
  the 
  fields 
  for 
  manure. 
  The 
  

   soldiers 
  were 
  detained 
  prisoners 
  by 
  the 
  insects 
  for 
  forty-eight 
  hours, 
  and 
  on 
  their 
  

   march 
  to 
  Elizavetopol 
  in 
  the 
  rear 
  of 
  the 
  locust 
  army 
  they 
  found 
  every 
  blade 
  of 
  grass 
  

   and 
  green 
  leaf 
  destroyed 
  and 
  the 
  peasants 
  reduced 
  to 
  beggary. 
  

  

  81 
  " 
  Travels 
  through 
  the 
  southern 
  Provinces 
  of 
  the 
  Eussian 
  Empire," 
  Engl, 
  transl., 
  ii, 
  4, 
  22. 
  

  

  82 
  " 
  Travels 
  in 
  Eussia, 
  Tartary, 
  and 
  Turkey," 
  4th 
  ed., 
  i, 
  133. 
  

  

  83 
  Georgi 
  " 
  Siberische 
  Eeise," 
  pt. 
  i, 
  p. 
  28.— 
  Eitter. 
  

  

  "Gamba 
  " 
  Voyage 
  dans 
  la 
  Eussie 
  meridionale 
  1820-24," 
  ii, 
  226. 
  

  

  