﻿HOW 
  SWARMS 
  AEE 
  FORMED. 
  89 
  

  

  whirling 
  about 
  in 
  the 
  air, 
  like 
  bees 
  swarming, 
  but 
  away 
  beyond 
  myriads 
  can 
  be 
  seen 
  

   moving 
  across 
  the 
  sun 
  toward 
  the 
  southwest, 
  looking 
  like 
  snowflakes. 
  If 
  there 
  is 
  

   a 
  change 
  in 
  the 
  atmosphere, 
  such 
  as 
  the 
  approach 
  of 
  a 
  thunder-storm 
  or 
  gale 
  of 
  wind 
  

   they 
  come 
  down 
  precipitately, 
  seeming 
  to 
  fold 
  their 
  wings 
  and 
  descend 
  by 
  the 
  force 
  

   of 
  gravity, 
  thousands 
  being 
  killed 
  by 
  the 
  fall, 
  if 
  it 
  be 
  on 
  stone 
  or 
  other 
  hard 
  sub- 
  

   stance. 
  If 
  not 
  interrupted 
  by 
  such 
  causes, 
  they 
  descend 
  during 
  the 
  afternoon. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  proper 
  to 
  add 
  that 
  this 
  applies 
  to 
  the 
  east 
  base 
  and 
  within 
  the 
  

   mountain 
  region, 
  where 
  the 
  atmosphere 
  near 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  ground 
  

   is 
  protected 
  by 
  the 
  mountain 
  wall, 
  while 
  an 
  upper 
  current 
  may 
  be 
  mov- 
  

   ing 
  eastward 
  or 
  southeast 
  — 
  a 
  condition 
  not 
  found 
  on 
  the 
  plains. 
  The 
  

   commissioners 
  have 
  also 
  had 
  the 
  pleasure 
  of 
  witnessing 
  this 
  habit 
  of 
  the 
  

   locust 
  of 
  circling 
  upward 
  in 
  the 
  mountain 
  region, 
  behind 
  some 
  project- 
  

   ing 
  ridge, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  narrow 
  canons, 
  apparently 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  ascer- 
  

   taining 
  the 
  condition 
  or 
  direction 
  of 
  the 
  upper 
  currents, 
  and 
  suddenly 
  

   dropping, 
  if 
  from 
  any 
  cause 
  it 
  proved 
  unfavorable. 
  This 
  habit 
  of 
  drop- 
  

   ping 
  suddenly 
  and 
  with 
  folded 
  wings 
  is 
  very 
  marked, 
  and 
  when 
  first 
  

   observed 
  by 
  the 
  writer 
  attracted 
  his 
  attention 
  more 
  than 
  any 
  single 
  

   point 
  connected 
  with 
  their 
  movements. 
  Kor 
  does 
  this 
  habit 
  appear 
  to 
  

   be 
  confined 
  to 
  our 
  native 
  species, 
  but 
  is 
  true 
  to 
  a 
  certain 
  extent 
  both 
  of 
  

   P. 
  migratorius 
  and 
  A. 
  per 
  eg 
  ri 
  num. 
  

  

  Lucretus 
  says 
  that 
  when 
  they 
  find 
  themselves 
  in 
  a 
  condition 
  not 
  to 
  

   sustain 
  a 
  long 
  journey 
  they 
  at 
  first 
  drop 
  and 
  then 
  fall 
  precipitately 
  to 
  

   the 
  ground. 
  

  

  Eichard 
  Jobson, 
  187 
  describing 
  the 
  fall 
  of 
  locusts 
  in 
  a 
  storm, 
  says 
  : 
  

  

  As 
  we 
  returned 
  homeward 
  there 
  came 
  so 
  many 
  of 
  them 
  behind 
  us 
  that 
  they 
  seemed 
  

   to 
  be 
  blows 
  of 
  stones 
  and 
  staves. 
  

  

  Captain 
  Frankland, 
  188 
  while 
  at 
  Smyrna 
  in 
  the 
  latter 
  part 
  of 
  July, 
  ob- 
  

   served 
  a 
  large 
  swarm 
  ; 
  in 
  speaking 
  of 
  them 
  he 
  remarks 
  that 
  — 
  

  

  They 
  passed 
  over 
  the 
  city, 
  falling 
  upon 
  the 
  roofs 
  of 
  the 
  houses, 
  where 
  they 
  lay 
  two 
  

   or 
  three 
  inches 
  deep, 
  and 
  tumbling 
  into 
  the 
  sea 
  in 
  such 
  quantities 
  that 
  they 
  could 
  be 
  

   traced 
  in 
  continuous 
  streams 
  for 
  many 
  leagues 
  from 
  the 
  land. 
  

  

  Although 
  the 
  method 
  of 
  falling 
  is 
  not 
  described, 
  it 
  is 
  evident 
  from 
  

   what 
  he 
  says 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  precipitately. 
  

  

  The 
  formation 
  and 
  movements 
  of 
  swarms. 
  — 
  The 
  disposition 
  to 
  mass 
  

   together 
  begins 
  at 
  an 
  early 
  stage 
  in 
  the 
  life 
  of 
  these 
  insects 
  j 
  in 
  fact, 
  as 
  

   stated 
  in 
  our 
  former 
  report, 
  it 
  is 
  shown 
  in 
  C. 
  spretus 
  from 
  the 
  first, 
  

   though, 
  as 
  Koppen 
  remarks 
  in 
  reference 
  to 
  P. 
  migratorius, 
  no 
  decided 
  

   association 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  moving 
  forward 
  appears 
  until 
  the 
  second 
  

   or 
  third 
  stage. 
  But 
  from 
  the 
  third 
  stage 
  onward 
  until 
  they 
  acquire 
  

   wings 
  this 
  disposition 
  to 
  move 
  forward 
  in 
  armies 
  is 
  shown 
  quite 
  dis- 
  

   tinctly. 
  The 
  fact 
  that 
  they 
  combine 
  together 
  and 
  move 
  in 
  immense 
  

   swarms 
  in 
  the 
  winged 
  state, 
  often 
  in 
  such 
  numbers 
  as 
  to 
  darken 
  the 
  sun 
  

   for 
  hours, 
  is 
  too 
  well 
  known 
  to 
  require 
  any 
  further 
  proof. 
  This 
  habit 
  

   appears 
  to 
  have 
  given 
  origin 
  at 
  a 
  very 
  early 
  date 
  to 
  the 
  belief 
  that 
  they 
  

   are 
  led 
  by 
  kings 
  — 
  a 
  belief 
  which, 
  judging 
  from 
  some 
  of 
  our 
  locust 
  cor- 
  

  

  187 
  Loc. 
  cit. 
  if* 
  Travels 
  to 
  and 
  from 
  Constantinople 
  in 
  1827-28, 
  I, 
  264. 
  

  

  