﻿86 
  REPORT 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  ENTOMOLOGICAL 
  COMMISSION. 
  

  

  The 
  facts 
  which 
  are 
  generally 
  quoted 
  as 
  evidence 
  of 
  their 
  power 
  of 
  

   prolonged 
  flight 
  are 
  the 
  numerous 
  statements 
  of 
  their 
  having 
  been 
  seen 
  

   at 
  sea 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  five 
  hundred 
  miles 
  or 
  more 
  from 
  the 
  nearest 
  land 
  

   from 
  which 
  they 
  could 
  have 
  come. 
  We 
  add 
  here 
  one 
  of 
  these 
  state- 
  

   ments 
  as 
  an 
  illustration 
  : 
  

  

  Locusts 
  at 
  sea. 
  — 
  The 
  Essex 
  (Massachusetts) 
  Register 
  published 
  the 
  following 
  account 
  

   on 
  authority 
  of 
  a 
  letter 
  from 
  the 
  mate 
  of 
  the 
  brig 
  Levant, 
  of 
  Boston, 
  to 
  his 
  friend 
  in 
  

   Beverly, 
  dated 
  Montevideo, 
  January 
  17, 
  last 
  past. 
  The 
  mate 
  writes 
  that 
  after 
  

   having 
  encountered 
  a 
  severe 
  gale 
  on 
  the 
  13th 
  of 
  September 
  when 
  in 
  latitude 
  of 
  18° 
  

   north, 
  and 
  the 
  nearest 
  land 
  being 
  over 
  450 
  miles, 
  they 
  were 
  surrounded 
  for 
  two 
  days 
  

   by 
  large 
  swarms 
  of 
  locusts 
  of 
  a 
  large 
  size 
  ; 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  afternoon 
  of 
  the 
  second 
  day 
  in 
  

   a 
  squall 
  from 
  the 
  northwest, 
  the 
  sky 
  was 
  completely 
  black 
  with 
  them. 
  They 
  covered 
  

   every 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  brig 
  immediately, 
  sails, 
  rigging, 
  cabin, 
  &c. 
  It 
  is 
  a 
  little 
  singular 
  

   how 
  they 
  could 
  have 
  supported 
  themselves 
  in 
  the 
  air 
  so 
  long, 
  as 
  there 
  was 
  no 
  land 
  to 
  

   the 
  northwest 
  for 
  several 
  thousand 
  miles. 
  Two 
  days 
  afterwards, 
  the 
  weather 
  being 
  

   moderate, 
  the 
  brig 
  sailed 
  through 
  swarms 
  of 
  them 
  floating 
  dead 
  upon 
  the 
  water. 
  182 
  

  

  If 
  these 
  statements 
  are 
  received 
  as 
  true, 
  and 
  some 
  of 
  them 
  at 
  least 
  

   are 
  too 
  well 
  authenticated 
  for 
  us 
  to 
  doubt 
  their 
  correctness, 
  they 
  render 
  

   it 
  certain 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  possible 
  for 
  locusts, 
  under 
  favorable 
  conditions, 
  to 
  

   be 
  conveyed 
  this 
  great 
  distance 
  over 
  the 
  ocean. 
  

  

  But 
  does 
  it 
  follow 
  as 
  a 
  necessary 
  conclusion 
  that 
  they 
  have 
  flown 
  to 
  

   this 
  distance 
  at 
  a 
  single 
  flight? 
  If 
  the 
  remarkable 
  statement 
  by 
  Sir 
  

   Hans 
  Sloane, 
  which 
  we 
  have 
  heretofore 
  quoted, 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  relied 
  upon, 
  we 
  

   may 
  be 
  enabled 
  to 
  account 
  for 
  their 
  appearance 
  in 
  mid-ocean 
  without 
  

   having 
  to 
  assume 
  that 
  these 
  points 
  were 
  reached 
  in 
  a 
  single 
  flight. 
  That 
  

   locusts 
  may 
  fall 
  into 
  the 
  water 
  in 
  such 
  masses 
  as 
  to 
  buoy 
  many 
  without 
  

   being 
  submerged, 
  which 
  may 
  afterwards 
  take 
  flight, 
  is 
  not 
  impossible. 
  

   Lallemant 
  observing 
  a 
  swarm 
  cast 
  into 
  the 
  sea 
  off 
  the 
  shores 
  of 
  Algiers, 
  

   remarked 
  that 
  many 
  thrown 
  upon 
  the 
  beach 
  by 
  the 
  waves 
  regained 
  

   their 
  vitality 
  under 
  the 
  influence 
  of 
  the 
  sun. 
  The 
  same 
  thing 
  has 
  also 
  

   been 
  frequently 
  observed 
  elsewhere. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  also 
  possible 
  for 
  them 
  to 
  be 
  carried 
  long 
  distances 
  over 
  the 
  ocean 
  

   by 
  whirlwinds 
  and 
  by 
  violent 
  winds 
  which 
  ascend 
  on 
  leaving 
  the 
  land, 
  

   the 
  force 
  of 
  which 
  is 
  sufficient 
  to 
  carry 
  them 
  forward 
  in 
  spite 
  of 
  the 
  

   apparent 
  natural 
  tendency 
  they 
  have 
  to 
  drop 
  when 
  over 
  the 
  water. 
  

  

  We 
  therefore 
  are 
  not 
  inclined 
  to 
  accept 
  these 
  isolated 
  and 
  unusual 
  

   occurrences 
  as 
  applicable 
  to 
  the 
  question 
  now 
  under 
  discussion 
  $ 
  not 
  that 
  

   we 
  deny 
  the 
  possibility 
  of 
  a 
  swarm 
  passing 
  over 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  500 
  

   miles 
  in 
  a 
  single 
  flight 
  with 
  a 
  favorable 
  wind, 
  but 
  that 
  the 
  evidence 
  

   to 
  show 
  these 
  were 
  regular 
  flights 
  is 
  wanting, 
  and 
  from 
  the 
  fact, 
  

   which 
  will 
  be 
  hereafter 
  shown, 
  that 
  when 
  they 
  come 
  over 
  large 
  bodies 
  

   of 
  water 
  they 
  have 
  a 
  natural 
  or 
  at 
  least 
  almost 
  universal 
  tendency 
  to 
  full. 
  

  

  All 
  the 
  facts, 
  therefore, 
  which 
  we 
  have 
  been 
  able 
  to 
  gather 
  in 
  refer- 
  

   ence 
  to 
  their 
  power 
  of 
  flight 
  lead 
  us 
  to 
  believe 
  that 
  with 
  a 
  strong 
  and 
  

   long-continued 
  wind 
  they 
  may 
  pass 
  over 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  from 
  three 
  to 
  

   five 
  hundred 
  miles, 
  and 
  possibly 
  even 
  more 
  before 
  alighting. 
  The 
  fact 
  

   that 
  they 
  are 
  driven 
  by 
  the 
  wind 
  instead 
  of 
  really 
  flying 
  as 
  does 
  a 
  bird, 
  

  

  182 
  Annuls 
  of 
  Natural 
  History, 
  vol. 
  vi, 
  page 
  527. 
  

  

  