﻿APPENDIX 
  VI. 
  

  

  ON 
  THE 
  FLIGHT 
  OF 
  LOCUSTS. 
  

  

  (TTrom 
  the 
  Atti 
  del 
  Real 
  Istituto 
  d'lncoraggiamento 
  alle 
  Scienze 
  Xaturali 
  di 
  Napoli, 
  tomoi, 
  pp. 
  233-269, 
  

  

  Naples, 
  1811.] 
  

  

  Translated 
  by 
  P. 
  P. 
  Spofford. 
  

   [Part 
  of 
  a 
  memoir 
  presented 
  to 
  the 
  Institute 
  November 
  5, 
  1809, 
  by 
  Gaetano 
  de 
  Lucretiis.] 
  

  

  Among 
  the 
  innumerable 
  injuries 
  to 
  which 
  the 
  industries 
  of 
  the 
  country 
  are 
  subject, 
  

   one 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  destructive 
  is 
  the 
  incalculable 
  multiplicity 
  of 
  little 
  animals 
  and 
  insects, 
  

   the 
  most 
  pestilent 
  element 
  in 
  animated 
  nature, 
  each 
  of 
  which, 
  taken 
  separately, 
  is 
  but 
  

   a 
  feeble 
  and 
  despicable 
  thing, 
  but 
  which, 
  through 
  their 
  excessive 
  multiplication 
  and 
  

   surprising 
  voracity, 
  become 
  a 
  most 
  pernicious 
  pest, 
  and 
  a 
  real 
  public 
  scourge, 
  capable 
  

   of 
  rendering 
  uninhabitable 
  an 
  entire 
  canton. 
  The 
  extraordinary 
  mildness 
  of 
  the 
  win- 
  

   ters, 
  and 
  the 
  absence 
  of 
  that 
  rigor 
  of 
  cold 
  which 
  belongs 
  to 
  that 
  season, 
  unhappily 
  favor 
  

   the 
  generation 
  and 
  development 
  of 
  little 
  animals, 
  and 
  especially 
  of 
  insects; 
  so 
  that 
  in 
  

   some 
  places 
  their 
  multiplication 
  much 
  exceeds 
  the 
  limits 
  of 
  the 
  ordinary 
  year. 
  But 
  

   these 
  insects 
  are 
  by 
  no 
  means 
  all 
  equally 
  noxious. 
  The 
  great 
  swarms 
  of 
  bees, 
  of 
  hor- 
  

   nets, 
  of 
  wasps, 
  and 
  the 
  clouds 
  of 
  gnats 
  and 
  midges 
  and 
  other 
  similar 
  insects, 
  are 
  rather 
  

   annoying 
  than 
  injurious. 
  Nearly 
  the 
  same 
  may 
  be 
  said 
  of 
  the 
  legions 
  of 
  ants, 
  of 
  butter- 
  

   flies, 
  and 
  of 
  beetles 
  which 
  make 
  their 
  appearance 
  in 
  spring 
  and 
  autumn. 
  But 
  desola 
  

   tion 
  is 
  brought 
  upon 
  agricultural 
  industry 
  by 
  the 
  ravages 
  of 
  gnawing 
  mice, 
  of 
  devour- 
  

   ing 
  worms, 
  consuming 
  the 
  buds 
  of 
  the 
  vine, 
  of 
  mites 
  or 
  weevfls, 
  destroying 
  both 
  grains 
  

   and 
  vegetables, 
  and 
  of 
  so 
  many 
  other 
  noxious 
  animals 
  and 
  insects 
  which 
  spring 
  up 
  in 
  

   the 
  heart 
  of 
  our 
  country 
  and 
  lay 
  waste 
  the 
  wheat, 
  oats, 
  barley, 
  vines, 
  leguminous 
  

   plants, 
  and 
  esculents. 
  Italy 
  sutfers 
  also 
  the 
  calamity 
  of 
  seeing 
  countless 
  legions 
  of 
  

   foreign 
  insects, 
  which 
  abandon 
  from 
  time 
  to 
  time 
  the 
  deserts 
  of 
  Tartary 
  and 
  of 
  Arabia, 
  

   cross 
  swiftly 
  over 
  to 
  the 
  shores 
  of 
  Italy, 
  and, 
  like 
  hordes 
  of 
  invading 
  armies 
  or 
  barbar- 
  

   ous 
  conquerors, 
  despoil 
  the 
  earth 
  over 
  which 
  they 
  march, 
  rob 
  it 
  of 
  its 
  fertility, 
  leaving 
  

   desolation 
  in 
  their 
  track, 
  and 
  reducing 
  whole 
  populations 
  to 
  the 
  horrors 
  of 
  misery 
  and 
  

   of 
  famine. 
  Thus 
  they 
  devour 
  the 
  produce 
  both 
  of 
  sown 
  ground 
  and 
  of 
  meadows, 
  and 
  

   render 
  the 
  country 
  a* 
  sterile 
  waste, 
  incapable 
  of 
  sustaining 
  men 
  or 
  domestic 
  animals 
  

   with 
  necessary 
  food. 
  Thus 
  the 
  locusts, 
  vulgarly 
  named 
  Bruchi, 
  have 
  for 
  years 
  invaded 
  

   the 
  most 
  fertile 
  provinces 
  of 
  our 
  kingdom. 
  This 
  is 
  no 
  new 
  calamity 
  for 
  Italy, 
  as 
  Pliny 
  

   records 
  similar 
  visitations 
  in 
  his 
  day. 
  

  

  The 
  cradle 
  of 
  the 
  locust 
  (Grillus 
  migratoriua 
  Lin.), 
  according 
  to 
  French 
  naturalists, 
  

   was 
  Tartary 
  and 
  Arabia; 
  but 
  sometimes 
  they 
  abandon 
  their 
  native 
  habitat, 
  and 
  come 
  

   in 
  swarms 
  of 
  emigrants 
  to 
  carry 
  desolation 
  and 
  terror 
  over 
  Europe, 
  and 
  especially 
  in 
  

   our 
  southern 
  latitudes. 
  The 
  east 
  winds 
  appear 
  to 
  favor 
  the 
  flight 
  of 
  these 
  exterminat- 
  

   ing 
  hordes, 
  composed 
  usually 
  of 
  an 
  incalculable 
  number 
  of 
  individuals, 
  which 
  is 
  con- 
  

   firmed 
  by 
  the 
  testimony 
  of 
  that 
  accurate 
  observer 
  Adanson 
  in 
  his 
  voyage 
  to 
  Senegal, 
  

   who 
  records 
  the 
  following 
  concerning 
  the 
  emigrations 
  of 
  this 
  insect 
  near 
  the 
  river 
  

   Gambia, 
  in 
  Africa.* 
  Ho 
  says: 
  

  

  "At 
  about 
  eight 
  o'clock 
  in 
  the 
  morning, 
  in 
  the 
  month 
  of 
  February, 
  a 
  dense 
  cloud 
  

   suddenly 
  came 
  up 
  over 
  us, 
  darkening 
  the 
  air, 
  and 
  even 
  shutting 
  out 
  the 
  rays 
  of 
  the 
  

   sun. 
  1 
  observed 
  that 
  this 
  phenomenon 
  was 
  caused 
  by 
  a 
  swarm 
  of 
  locusts 
  rising 
  about 
  

   180 
  feet 
  from 
  the 
  earth, 
  and 
  spreading 
  over 
  an 
  extent 
  of 
  many 
  leagues; 
  finally, 
  an 
  

   immense 
  quantity 
  of 
  these 
  insects 
  came 
  showering 
  down 
  with 
  a 
  rattling 
  noise 
  upon 
  

   the 
  earth, 
  devouring 
  whatever 
  of 
  verdure 
  was 
  found, 
  and 
  then 
  resuming" 
  their 
  flight. 
  

   This 
  swarm 
  was 
  blown 
  along 
  by 
  a 
  strong, 
  gusty 
  wind 
  from 
  the 
  east, 
  continuing 
  all 
  

   day, 
  and 
  spreading 
  over 
  the 
  whole 
  country 
  adjacent." 
  

  

  These 
  regions 
  suffered 
  the 
  last 
  great 
  devastation 
  from 
  this 
  source 
  in 
  the 
  year 
  1758. 
  

   Their 
  arrival 
  is 
  heralded 
  by 
  a 
  dull 
  sound 
  produced 
  by 
  the 
  agitation 
  of 
  their 
  wings, 
  

   and 
  the 
  obscuration 
  of 
  the 
  sun 
  announces 
  their 
  impending 
  fall 
  upon 
  the 
  fields; 
  aud 
  

   woe 
  to 
  the 
  land 
  where 
  they 
  light 
  for 
  repose 
  from 
  the 
  fatigues 
  of 
  their 
  journey, 
  which 
  

   frequently 
  comprises 
  30 
  miles 
  a 
  day. 
  The 
  most 
  fertile 
  country 
  after 
  one 
  of 
  their 
  visits 
  

   exhibits 
  the 
  aspect 
  of 
  a 
  melancholy 
  desert. 
  

  

  * 
  The 
  insect 
  Adanson 
  saw 
  was 
  evidently 
  A. 
  peregrinum 
  and 
  net 
  P. 
  migratorius.—C. 
  Thomas. 
  

  

  [63] 
  

  

  