﻿LENGTH 
  OF 
  A 
  SINGLE 
  FLIGHT. 
  85 
  

  

  twenty 
  miles 
  per 
  hour, 
  according 
  to 
  the 
  rate 
  at 
  which 
  the 
  wind 
  they 
  are 
  

   on 
  bears 
  them. 
  

  

  A 
  day's 
  flight 
  may 
  therefore 
  be 
  estimated 
  at 
  from 
  twenty 
  to 
  one 
  hun- 
  

   dred 
  and 
  fifty 
  miles. 
  But 
  there 
  are 
  numerous 
  facts 
  which 
  go 
  to 
  prove 
  

   that 
  a 
  single 
  flight 
  may 
  extend 
  much 
  farther 
  than 
  the 
  longer 
  distance 
  

   here 
  given. 
  

  

  Before 
  presenting 
  the 
  facts 
  bearing 
  on 
  this 
  point, 
  we 
  desire 
  to 
  call 
  

   attention 
  for 
  a 
  moment 
  to 
  the 
  statement 
  so 
  often 
  made, 
  as 
  an 
  argument 
  

   to 
  show 
  their 
  powers 
  of 
  prolonged 
  flight, 
  that 
  they 
  cross 
  the 
  Mediter- 
  

   ranean 
  Sea 
  from 
  Africa 
  to 
  Italy. 
  This 
  appears 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  first 
  made 
  

   by 
  Pliny, 
  as 
  already 
  quoted, 
  to 
  refute 
  the 
  theories 
  of 
  certain 
  other 
  au- 
  

   thors, 
  that 
  they 
  are 
  unable 
  to 
  fly 
  at 
  night. 
  Most 
  subsequent 
  writers, 
  

   even 
  down 
  to 
  the 
  present 
  day, 
  who 
  have 
  alluded 
  to 
  this 
  statement, 
  ap- 
  

   pear 
  to 
  have 
  relied 
  upon 
  it, 
  without 
  for 
  a 
  moment 
  questioning 
  its 
  truth 
  

   and 
  without 
  investigation. 
  The 
  only 
  other 
  authors 
  we 
  have 
  been 
  able 
  

   to 
  find 
  who 
  appear 
  to 
  corroborate 
  this 
  assertion 
  by 
  additional 
  evidence 
  

   are 
  Otho 
  Frisingenses, 
  who 
  says 
  they 
  came 
  over 
  from 
  Africa 
  into 
  Italy 
  

   and 
  France 
  in 
  1353 
  and 
  1374, 
  and 
  Dor, 
  who 
  believes 
  the 
  invasion 
  of 
  

   1858 
  came 
  from 
  the 
  same 
  country. 
  This 
  is 
  not 
  only 
  contradicted 
  by 
  the 
  

   statement 
  of 
  Lucretiis, 
  who, 
  residing 
  in 
  that 
  part 
  of 
  Europe, 
  had 
  the 
  

   best 
  opportunity 
  of 
  knowing 
  the 
  facts 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  ; 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  rendered 
  in 
  

   the 
  highest 
  degree 
  improbable, 
  from 
  the 
  fact, 
  as 
  heretofore 
  shown, 
  that 
  

   the 
  only 
  migratory 
  species 
  known 
  in 
  North 
  Africa 
  is 
  A. 
  peregrinum, 
  

   which 
  has 
  never 
  been 
  seen 
  in 
  Italy, 
  and, 
  according 
  to 
  Bolivar 
  and 
  Lalle- 
  

   mant, 
  never 
  approaches 
  nearer 
  to 
  it 
  than 
  the 
  Balearic 
  Islands. 
  We 
  

   allude 
  to 
  this 
  not 
  only 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  proving 
  it 
  incorrect, 
  but 
  also 
  

   to 
  show 
  how 
  long 
  an 
  erroneous 
  statement 
  in 
  reference 
  to 
  locusts, 
  based 
  

   upon 
  theory, 
  may 
  be 
  accepted 
  as 
  true 
  even 
  by 
  entomologists.* 
  

  

  That 
  locusts 
  can 
  and 
  do 
  often 
  cross 
  over 
  considerable 
  bodies 
  of 
  

   water 
  is 
  clearly 
  shown 
  by 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  they 
  reach 
  the 
  Canary 
  Islands 
  

   from 
  the 
  African 
  coast 
  ; 
  come 
  into 
  Cyprus 
  from 
  the 
  neighboring 
  coasts 
  

   of 
  Asia 
  Minor 
  ; 
  cross 
  over 
  the 
  Bed 
  Sea 
  at 
  least 
  at 
  its 
  northern 
  and 
  

   southern 
  extremities, 
  and 
  that 
  A. 
  peregrinum 
  has 
  been 
  seen 
  in 
  the 
  Ba- 
  

   learic 
  Islands, 
  having 
  come 
  from 
  Northern 
  Africa. 
  P. 
  migratorius 
  has 
  

   also 
  been 
  taken 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  Edinburg, 
  Scotland, 
  having 
  without 
  

   doubt 
  crossed 
  over 
  from 
  the 
  Continent. 
  Statements 
  are 
  on 
  record 
  of 
  

   swarms 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  species 
  having 
  been 
  seen 
  crossing 
  over 
  the 
  Black 
  

   Sea. 
  Bitter 
  asserts 
  it, 
  and 
  even 
  an 
  official 
  report 
  made 
  to 
  the 
  Kussian 
  

   Government 
  states 
  the 
  same 
  thing. 
  Yet 
  Kbppen, 
  who 
  has 
  so 
  carefully 
  

   studied 
  the 
  history 
  and 
  habits 
  of 
  the 
  locusts 
  in 
  Crimea 
  and 
  Southern 
  

   Kussia, 
  doubts 
  the 
  correctness 
  of 
  these 
  statements. 
  And 
  the 
  more 
  care- 
  

   fully 
  these 
  insects 
  are 
  studied 
  in 
  their 
  native 
  habitats 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  regions 
  

   to 
  which 
  they 
  migrate, 
  the 
  more 
  we 
  find 
  such 
  opinions 
  fading 
  away 
  be- 
  

   fore 
  the 
  facts. 
  

  

  * 
  Note.— 
  I 
  see 
  it 
  stated 
  recently 
  in 
  a 
  newspaper 
  that 
  a 
  swarm 
  of 
  locnsts 
  had 
  this 
  season 
  fallen 
  on 
  the 
  

   shores 
  of 
  Italy 
  from 
  Africa. 
  Whether 
  the 
  statement 
  as 
  to 
  their 
  appearance, 
  let 
  alone 
  their 
  nativity, 
  

   he 
  true 
  has 
  not 
  heen 
  ascertained 
  up 
  to 
  the 
  time 
  this 
  goes 
  to 
  press. 
  

  

  