﻿[661 
  REPORT 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  ENTOMOLOGICAL 
  COMMISSION. 
  

  

  for 
  the 
  destruction 
  of 
  the 
  eggs. 
  And 
  similar 
  provident 
  regulations 
  had 
  such 
  an 
  effect 
  

   that 
  these 
  pestilent 
  insects 
  not 
  only 
  did 
  not 
  then 
  penetrate 
  into 
  our 
  Puglia 
  Daunia, 
  

   but 
  were 
  entirely 
  destroyed 
  in 
  the 
  provinces 
  adjacent. 
  

  

  As 
  the 
  result 
  of 
  all 
  these 
  experiences, 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  said 
  that 
  the 
  means 
  of 
  exterminating 
  

   these 
  most 
  pernicious 
  insects 
  may 
  be 
  reduced 
  to 
  the 
  following 
  : 
  

  

  1. 
  In 
  the 
  first 
  pferiod, 
  and 
  particularly 
  in 
  the 
  months 
  of 
  September 
  and 
  October, 
  the 
  

   ground 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  eggs 
  may 
  be 
  deposited 
  should 
  be 
  turned 
  up 
  with 
  the 
  plow 
  or 
  the 
  

   spade, 
  and 
  the 
  eggs 
  collected 
  and 
  buried 
  in 
  trenches;* 
  and 
  there 
  should 
  be 
  introduced 
  

   into 
  the 
  ploughed 
  fields 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  swine, 
  who 
  will 
  devour 
  a 
  surprising 
  quantity 
  up 
  

   to 
  the 
  third 
  period. 
  

  

  2. 
  The 
  second 
  important 
  thing 
  to 
  do, 
  when 
  the 
  eggs 
  are 
  about 
  to 
  expand, 
  is 
  to 
  crush 
  

   as 
  many 
  as 
  posssible 
  under 
  the 
  feet 
  of 
  the 
  peasants 
  and 
  with 
  heavy 
  wooden 
  instru- 
  

   ments; 
  and 
  during 
  the 
  whole 
  period 
  in 
  which 
  they 
  have 
  not 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  their 
  wings, 
  

   and 
  are 
  incapable 
  of 
  taking 
  flight, 
  but 
  only 
  of 
  hopping, 
  let 
  them 
  be 
  surrounded 
  with 
  

   straw 
  in 
  the 
  morning, 
  and 
  towards 
  the 
  evening, 
  when 
  found 
  in 
  great 
  numbers 
  over 
  

   any 
  extent 
  of 
  territory, 
  attack 
  them 
  with 
  fire 
  on 
  all 
  sides, 
  so 
  that 
  they 
  cannot 
  escape 
  

   being 
  burned. 
  

  

  3. 
  When 
  they 
  have 
  later 
  unfolded 
  their 
  wings, 
  which 
  were 
  at 
  first 
  enveloped, 
  as 
  it 
  

   were, 
  in 
  two 
  buds 
  upon 
  their 
  backs, 
  use 
  should 
  be 
  made 
  of 
  the 
  spread 
  sheets 
  and 
  the 
  

   deep 
  trenches. 
  And 
  wherever 
  it 
  is 
  attempted 
  to 
  drive 
  them 
  from 
  a 
  cultivated 
  field 
  

   into 
  a 
  neighboring 
  wood 
  or 
  into 
  some 
  untilled 
  region, 
  let 
  a 
  loud 
  noise 
  be 
  made 
  by 
  

   beating 
  upon 
  instruments 
  of 
  copper 
  or 
  other 
  metallic 
  substances, 
  striking 
  blows 
  of 
  

   steel, 
  and 
  making 
  a 
  clamorous 
  sound. 
  And, 
  finally, 
  as 
  soon 
  as 
  the 
  season 
  of 
  their 
  cop- 
  

   ulation 
  arrives, 
  and 
  the 
  first 
  swarm 
  of 
  locusts 
  disperses, 
  to 
  wing 
  its 
  way 
  into 
  new 
  ter- 
  

   ritory, 
  rising 
  in 
  enormous 
  multitudes, 
  the 
  condition 
  of 
  turbulence 
  in 
  which 
  they 
  are 
  

   then 
  found 
  furnishes 
  to 
  the 
  peasants 
  the 
  most 
  favorable 
  occasion 
  to 
  destroy 
  an 
  immense 
  

   quantity 
  of 
  their 
  progeny 
  by 
  active 
  and 
  quick 
  assault. 
  

  

  When 
  the 
  means 
  above 
  indicated 
  are 
  judiciously 
  employed 
  at 
  various 
  periods 
  of 
  their 
  

   life, 
  they 
  will 
  unquestionably 
  produce 
  the 
  most 
  advantageous 
  effects. 
  

  

  OF 
  THE 
  LOCUSTS 
  WHICH 
  DESOLATED 
  VARIOUS 
  PROVINCES 
  OF 
  SPAIN 
  

   FROM 
  THE 
  YEAR 
  1754 
  UNTIL 
  1757. 
  

  

  [From 
  Bowles's 
  (William) 
  "Introduzione 
  alia 
  Storia 
  Naturale 
  e 
  alia 
  Geografla 
  Fisicadi 
  Spagha; 
  pnbbli- 
  

   cata 
  dal 
  Cao. 
  D. 
  G. 
  K. 
  D'Azara. 
  Tradotta 
  da 
  F. 
  Milizia." 
  Parma, 
  1783. 
  Tomo 
  ii, 
  pp. 
  1-24.) 
  

  

  Translated 
  by 
  F. 
  P. 
  Spofford. 
  

  

  The 
  locusts 
  of 
  which 
  I 
  am 
  about 
  to 
  speak 
  are 
  found 
  constantly 
  in 
  the 
  southern 
  

   regions 
  of 
  Spain, 
  and 
  especially 
  in 
  the 
  uncultivated 
  lands 
  of 
  Estremadura 
  ; 
  but 
  they 
  

   ordinarily 
  excite 
  no 
  attention, 
  because 
  they 
  are 
  found 
  in 
  moderate 
  quantities 
  and 
  live 
  

   upon 
  the 
  wild 
  herbs, 
  without 
  touching 
  the 
  sown 
  fields 
  or 
  the 
  gardens, 
  or 
  penetrating 
  

   into 
  the 
  houses. 
  The 
  countrymen 
  see 
  them 
  hop 
  about 
  with 
  indifference 
  and 
  feed 
  upon 
  

   the 
  grass 
  of 
  the 
  meadows 
  ; 
  and 
  their 
  indolence 
  causes 
  them 
  to 
  lose 
  the 
  favorable 
  oc- 
  

   casion 
  of 
  exterminating 
  them 
  every 
  year, 
  a 
  neglect 
  which 
  they 
  vainly 
  seek 
  to 
  repair 
  

   when 
  the 
  mischief 
  becomes 
  without 
  remedy. 
  

  

  The 
  progeny 
  which 
  these 
  insects 
  leave 
  every 
  year 
  is 
  not 
  very 
  great, 
  because 
  the 
  

   number 
  of 
  their 
  males 
  infinitely 
  exceeds 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  females 
  ;t 
  and 
  if 
  for 
  ten 
  years 
  the 
  

   generation 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  sexes 
  should 
  be 
  equal 
  their 
  multiplication 
  would 
  be 
  so 
  prodigious 
  

   that 
  they 
  would 
  devour 
  the 
  entire 
  vegetable 
  kingdom 
  ; 
  the 
  birds 
  and 
  quadrupeds 
  would 
  

   die 
  of 
  famine, 
  and 
  the 
  men 
  would 
  have 
  to 
  make 
  their 
  last 
  meal 
  of 
  the 
  locusts. 
  In 
  the 
  

   year 
  1754 
  such 
  a 
  quantity 
  of 
  female 
  locusts 
  was 
  bred 
  that, 
  in 
  the 
  following 
  year, 
  they 
  

   inundated 
  La 
  Manche 
  and 
  Portugal, 
  bringing 
  with 
  them 
  all 
  the 
  horrors 
  of 
  dearth 
  and 
  

   of 
  misery. 
  The 
  same 
  calamity 
  spread 
  quickly 
  over 
  the 
  neighboring 
  provinces, 
  carry- 
  

   ing 
  with 
  it 
  terror 
  and 
  desolation 
  into 
  Murcia 
  and 
  Valencia, 
  and 
  into 
  the 
  four 
  kingdoms 
  

   of 
  Andalusia. 
  * 
  * 
  * 
  

  

  The 
  locusts 
  always 
  deposit 
  their 
  eggs 
  in 
  uncultivated 
  ground, 
  and 
  have 
  need 
  of 
  a 
  

   certain 
  degree 
  of 
  heat 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  hatch 
  them 
  ; 
  whence 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  inferred 
  that 
  they 
  

   cannot 
  propagate 
  in 
  cold 
  and 
  cultivated 
  regions, 
  which 
  are 
  only 
  subject 
  to 
  certain 
  

   passing 
  invasions 
  of 
  such 
  legions 
  as 
  are 
  transported 
  by 
  the 
  winds. 
  

  

  The 
  locusts, 
  which 
  upon 
  issuing 
  from 
  the 
  egg 
  are 
  black 
  and 
  no 
  larger 
  than 
  a 
  small 
  

   fly, 
  swarm 
  about 
  the 
  clods 
  of 
  earth 
  and 
  among 
  a 
  species 
  of 
  rushes, 
  leaping 
  one 
  upon 
  

   another, 
  and 
  occupying 
  a 
  space 
  of 
  three 
  to 
  four 
  feet 
  in 
  circumference 
  and 
  two 
  inches 
  

   in 
  height, 
  so 
  that 
  a 
  body 
  of 
  them 
  resembles 
  a 
  black 
  object 
  which 
  moves 
  along 
  the 
  

   ground. 
  The 
  first 
  opportunity 
  which 
  presented 
  to 
  me 
  the 
  view 
  of 
  such 
  a 
  spectacle 
  

   surprised 
  me 
  from 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  ten 
  to 
  twelve 
  paces, 
  because 
  it 
  conveyed 
  the 
  mournful 
  

  

  tWhy 
  not 
  destroy 
  them 
  effectually, 
  as 
  by 
  burning? 
  

  

  •We 
  nave 
  not 
  found 
  this 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  case 
  with 
  O. 
  spretus.—C. 
  T. 
  

  

  