﻿FLIGHT 
  AT 
  NIGHT. 
  97 
  

  

  ♦ 
  

   but 
  little 
  attention 
  from 
  European 
  naturalists, 
  although 
  so 
  important 
  in 
  

  

  explaining 
  some 
  facts 
  in 
  reference 
  to 
  locust 
  movements. 
  

  

  Kohl 
  195 
  says 
  that 
  they 
  fly 
  in 
  the 
  night 
  on 
  their 
  native 
  southern 
  steppes 
  

  

  in 
  July 
  and 
  August, 
  but 
  not 
  later 
  than 
  12 
  o'clock, 
  and 
  in 
  warm, 
  clear 
  

  

  nights 
  when 
  it 
  is 
  light. 
  Demole 
  denies 
  this, 
  and 
  asserts 
  that 
  they 
  fly 
  

  

  only 
  during 
  the 
  day, 
  remaining 
  at 
  rest 
  at 
  night. 
  But 
  the 
  facts 
  given 
  

  

  in 
  our 
  former 
  report, 
  and 
  the 
  statement 
  made 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Child, 
  quoted 
  

  

  above, 
  are 
  corroborated 
  by 
  the 
  following 
  direct 
  testimony 
  of 
  Captain 
  

  

  Frankland 
  : 
  19C 
  

  

  The 
  passage 
  of 
  these 
  aniinals 
  lasted 
  during 
  many 
  days, 
  and 
  at 
  night 
  as 
  they 
  crossed 
  

   over 
  the 
  disk 
  of 
  the 
  moon, 
  by 
  reflecting 
  the 
  light 
  as 
  they 
  shot 
  across 
  the 
  face 
  of 
  the 
  

   planet, 
  they 
  resembled 
  so 
  many 
  flakes 
  of 
  snow 
  or 
  almost 
  as 
  many 
  shooting 
  stars. 
  The 
  

   heat 
  of 
  the 
  weather 
  at 
  this 
  period, 
  87°, 
  was 
  so 
  intense 
  that 
  during 
  the 
  night 
  I 
  was 
  

   obliged 
  to 
  sleep 
  with 
  my 
  window 
  open, 
  the 
  consequence 
  of 
  which 
  was 
  that 
  the 
  lo- 
  

   custs 
  used 
  to 
  tumble 
  into 
  my 
  room 
  and 
  upon 
  my 
  musquito-curtains, 
  and 
  by 
  hopping 
  

   about 
  the 
  floor 
  and 
  creeping 
  into 
  my 
  bed 
  generally 
  annoyed 
  me 
  extremely. 
  

  

  The 
  fact 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  the 
  general 
  habit 
  of 
  locusts 
  to 
  alight 
  in 
  the 
  even- 
  

   ing 
  and 
  resume 
  their 
  journey 
  next 
  day 
  after 
  sunrise, 
  if 
  the 
  wind 
  is 
  fa- 
  

   vorable, 
  together 
  with 
  the 
  difficulty 
  of 
  observing 
  them 
  at 
  night, 
  even 
  

   when 
  the 
  moon 
  is 
  shining, 
  have 
  led 
  to 
  the 
  general 
  impression 
  that 
  there 
  

   are 
  no 
  exceptions 
  to 
  this 
  rule. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  data 
  obtained 
  by 
  us 
  in 
  1877 
  we 
  found 
  repeated 
  statements 
  by 
  

   our 
  correspondents 
  of 
  the 
  sudden 
  appearance 
  of 
  locusts 
  in 
  the 
  morning 
  

   in 
  localities 
  where 
  none 
  had 
  been 
  seen 
  the 
  day 
  before. 
  

  

  There 
  were 
  also 
  several 
  accounts 
  of 
  swarms 
  seen 
  flying 
  over 
  localities 
  in 
  

   continuous 
  streams 
  for 
  several 
  days 
  during 
  the 
  entire 
  day, 
  but 
  none 
  alight- 
  

   ing. 
  It 
  was 
  impossible 
  to 
  account 
  for 
  these 
  and 
  some 
  other 
  facts, 
  too 
  well 
  

   attested 
  to 
  be 
  doubled, 
  without 
  supposing 
  the 
  swarms 
  continued 
  their 
  

   flights 
  during 
  the 
  night. 
  Starting 
  with 
  this 
  clue, 
  we 
  sought 
  for 
  all 
  the 
  

   information 
  we 
  could 
  obtain 
  bearing 
  on 
  this 
  subject. 
  This, 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  re- 
  

   ceived 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  our 
  first 
  report 
  was 
  published, 
  was 
  then 
  given. 
  Since 
  

   then 
  a 
  somewhat 
  thorough 
  examination 
  of 
  the 
  locust 
  literature 
  of 
  Eu- 
  

   rope 
  and 
  the 
  statements 
  of 
  travelers 
  in 
  other 
  countries 
  who 
  note 
  

   their 
  observations 
  of 
  the 
  locusts, 
  although 
  bringing 
  to 
  light 
  but 
  few 
  pos- 
  

   itive 
  statements, 
  such 
  as 
  that 
  given 
  above 
  by 
  Captain 
  Frankland, 
  has 
  

   convinced 
  us, 
  as 
  the 
  facts 
  in 
  reference 
  to 
  the 
  flights 
  of 
  C. 
  spretus 
  did, 
  

   that 
  it 
  is 
  no 
  uncommon 
  thing 
  for 
  locusts 
  to 
  fly 
  at 
  night 
  when 
  the 
  weather 
  

   is 
  quite 
  warm 
  and 
  the 
  wind 
  favorable. 
  It 
  is 
  possible 
  they 
  prefer 
  nights 
  

   when 
  the 
  moon 
  shines, 
  but 
  we 
  do 
  not 
  think 
  they 
  are 
  confined 
  to 
  these 
  ; 
  

   the 
  warmth 
  and 
  wind 
  being 
  the 
  influencing 
  conditions. 
  Certainly 
  

   this 
  point, 
  as 
  Pliny 
  seems 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  aware, 
  is 
  an 
  important 
  item 
  in 
  

   determining 
  the 
  possible 
  distance 
  to 
  which 
  single 
  flights 
  may 
  extend. 
  

   Flying 
  two 
  days 
  and 
  one 
  night, 
  say 
  thirty 
  hours, 
  with 
  a 
  moderate 
  wind, 
  

   moving 
  15 
  miles 
  an 
  hour, 
  will 
  carry 
  them 
  450 
  miles. 
  

  

  198 
  Keisen 
  in 
  Siidrussland, 
  iii, 
  163. 
  l96 
  Loc. 
  tit. 
  

  

  7l 
  

  

  