﻿ON 
  THE 
  FLIGHT 
  OF 
  LOCUSTS. 
  [G7] 
  

  

  idea 
  of 
  a 
  funeral 
  pall; 
  and 
  as 
  these 
  little 
  animals 
  live 
  only 
  upon 
  dew, 
  they 
  raise 
  an 
  L 
  

   lower 
  themselves 
  continually 
  one 
  upon 
  another 
  to 
  gather 
  it. 
  

  

  The 
  locusts 
  move 
  but 
  a 
  little 
  space 
  from 
  the 
  place 
  of 
  their 
  birth 
  daring 
  the 
  first 
  days 
  

   of 
  their 
  lives, 
  because 
  their 
  legs 
  are 
  always 
  weak, 
  their 
  wings 
  not 
  yet 
  well 
  formed, 
  and 
  

   their 
  teeth 
  not 
  sufficiently 
  hard 
  to 
  eat 
  the 
  herbage. 
  In 
  the 
  course 
  of 
  fifteen 
  to 
  twenty 
  

   days 
  they 
  begin 
  to 
  eat 
  the 
  most 
  tender 
  stalks 
  of 
  the 
  plants, 
  and 
  in 
  proportion 
  as 
  their 
  

   limbs 
  grow 
  stronger 
  they 
  break 
  away 
  from 
  the 
  society 
  of 
  the 
  colony 
  and 
  spread 
  over 
  

   the 
  adjacent 
  tields, 
  intent, 
  day 
  and 
  night, 
  without 
  sleeping, 
  upon 
  devouring 
  whatever 
  

   presents 
  itself 
  to 
  them, 
  while 
  their 
  wings 
  grow 
  to 
  their 
  perfection. 
  It 
  is 
  not 
  to 
  be 
  

   wondered 
  at 
  that 
  they 
  consume 
  the 
  tender, 
  juicy, 
  and 
  sweet 
  plants, 
  like 
  the 
  melons, 
  

   citrons, 
  pumpkins, 
  and 
  other 
  green 
  things, 
  and 
  the 
  Leguminous 
  plants, 
  and 
  not 
  less 
  

   the 
  aromatic 
  shrubs, 
  whose 
  perfumes 
  attract 
  them 
  from 
  afar, 
  like 
  the 
  thyme, 
  the 
  mint, 
  

   the 
  rosemary, 
  the 
  sage, 
  the 
  southernwood, 
  which 
  so 
  abound 
  in 
  Spain 
  that 
  in 
  many 
  

   parts 
  they 
  serve 
  to 
  furnish 
  aromatic 
  fires, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  north 
  they 
  are 
  cultivated 
  as 
  

   choice 
  plants 
  in 
  gardens. 
  What 
  seems 
  strange, 
  they 
  devoured 
  also 
  the 
  mustard 
  plant, 
  

   onions, 
  and 
  garlic, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  poisonous 
  plants 
  like 
  the 
  Stramonium 
  ferojr, 
  the 
  Solannm 
  

   lothak, 
  the 
  hemlock, 
  and 
  other 
  fetid 
  and 
  poisonous 
  plants; 
  in 
  short, 
  the 
  locust 
  con- 
  

   sumes 
  everything, 
  without 
  distinction 
  of 
  flavor, 
  of 
  odor, 
  or 
  Of 
  virtue 
  — 
  good 
  or 
  bad. 
  

  

  The 
  singularity 
  about 
  these 
  locusts, 
  which 
  during 
  four 
  consecutive 
  years 
  desolated 
  

   all 
  the 
  southern 
  provisoes 
  of 
  Spain, 
  was 
  a 
  fact 
  notorious 
  to 
  all 
  the 
  world, 
  namely, 
  that 
  

   in 
  the 
  midst 
  of 
  so 
  many 
  plants 
  greedily 
  devoured 
  they 
  never 
  touched 
  the 
  leaves 
  and 
  

   the 
  flowers 
  nor 
  the 
  fruit 
  of 
  the 
  tomato 
  (or 
  love 
  apple), 
  the 
  only 
  privileged 
  plant 
  which* 
  

   was 
  respected 
  by 
  this 
  veracious 
  insect. 
  * 
  * 
  * 
  

  

  The 
  locusts 
  pass 
  the 
  months 
  of 
  April, 
  May, 
  and 
  June 
  near 
  the 
  place 
  of 
  their 
  birth, 
  

   at 
  the 
  close 
  of 
  which 
  latter 
  month 
  their 
  wings 
  assume 
  a 
  beautiful 
  rose 
  color, 
  and 
  ac- 
  

   quire 
  ail 
  the 
  strength 
  and 
  management 
  of 
  which 
  they 
  are 
  capable. 
  They 
  now 
  begin 
  

   to 
  unite 
  in 
  colonies 
  for 
  the 
  second 
  and 
  last 
  flight, 
  and 
  then 
  begins 
  in 
  their 
  youth 
  to 
  

   kindle 
  in 
  them 
  the 
  passion 
  and 
  desire 
  of 
  perpetuating 
  their 
  species. 
  This 
  is 
  manifested 
  

   in 
  their 
  movements; 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  observed 
  that 
  this 
  ardor 
  is 
  very 
  unequal 
  in 
  the 
  two 
  

   sexes, 
  because 
  the 
  males 
  become 
  restless 
  and 
  solicitous, 
  while 
  the 
  females 
  remain 
  cold 
  

   and 
  occupied 
  continually 
  in 
  feeding. 
  The 
  one 
  approaches, 
  the 
  other 
  flies 
  and 
  hides, 
  

   so 
  that 
  the 
  whole 
  early 
  morning 
  is 
  passed 
  in 
  assaulting 
  on 
  the 
  one 
  part 
  and 
  tleeing 
  and 
  

   feeding 
  on 
  the 
  other. 
  Toward 
  two 
  o'clock 
  in 
  the 
  afternoon, 
  when 
  the 
  heat 
  of 
  the 
  sun 
  

   has 
  dried 
  all 
  the 
  dampness 
  of 
  the 
  night 
  from 
  their 
  wings, 
  so 
  that 
  they 
  assume 
  their 
  elas- 
  

   ticity, 
  the 
  females 
  begin 
  to 
  free 
  themselves 
  by 
  jumping 
  about, 
  and 
  fly 
  from 
  the 
  impor- 
  

   tunities 
  of 
  the 
  males 
  who 
  pursue 
  them, 
  in 
  which 
  exercise 
  they 
  begin 
  to 
  rise 
  little 
  by 
  

   little 
  into 
  the 
  air, 
  and 
  finally 
  to 
  the 
  height 
  of 
  400 
  to 
  500 
  feet, 
  forming 
  a 
  cloud 
  which 
  

   intercepts 
  the 
  rays 
  of 
  the 
  sun. 
  The 
  clear 
  and 
  serene 
  sky 
  of 
  Spain 
  is 
  obscured, 
  and 
  

   becomes, 
  in 
  the 
  midst 
  of 
  summer, 
  more 
  dark 
  and 
  gloomy 
  than 
  that 
  of 
  Germany 
  in 
  Hie 
  

   spring. 
  The 
  rustling 
  of 
  so 
  many 
  millions 
  of 
  wings 
  forms 
  a 
  dull 
  roar 
  similar 
  to 
  that 
  

   which 
  a 
  sudden 
  blast 
  of 
  wind 
  produces 
  in 
  a 
  forest 
  full 
  of 
  trees. 
  The 
  route 
  which 
  the 
  

   first 
  formidable 
  swarm 
  takes 
  always 
  follows 
  the 
  wind, 
  and 
  this 
  first 
  flight 
  is 
  usually 
  

   prolonged 
  about 
  two 
  leagues; 
  but 
  if 
  the 
  weather 
  is 
  calm 
  and 
  serene 
  the 
  length 
  of 
  their 
  

   flight 
  is 
  less. 
  In 
  these 
  fatal 
  pauses 
  the 
  locusts 
  commit 
  the 
  most 
  frightful 
  ravages. 
  

   By 
  their 
  exquisite 
  sensibility 
  to 
  odors, 
  they 
  scent 
  from 
  a 
  great 
  height 
  in 
  the 
  air 
  a 
  held 
  

   of 
  grain 
  or 
  a 
  garden. 
  I 
  have 
  seen 
  them 
  turn 
  from 
  the 
  course 
  of 
  their 
  march 
  more 
  than 
  

   half 
  a 
  league, 
  obliquely, 
  to 
  destroy 
  a 
  held 
  of 
  grain, 
  and 
  after 
  they 
  had 
  devoured 
  it 
  rise 
  

   again 
  and 
  resume 
  their 
  first 
  direction 
  which 
  they 
  had 
  left. 
  The 
  destruction 
  is 
  accom- 
  

   plished 
  in 
  an 
  instant. 
  Each 
  insect 
  has 
  four 
  arms 
  and 
  two 
  legs, 
  and 
  all 
  the 
  extremities 
  

   of 
  each 
  of 
  these 
  members 
  have 
  three 
  [two] 
  claws 
  for 
  grappling. 
  I 
  have 
  seen 
  the 
  males 
  

   ascend 
  the 
  branches 
  of 
  the 
  trees 
  on 
  which 
  they 
  feed, 
  as 
  sailors 
  climb 
  by 
  the 
  yards 
  and 
  

   ropes 
  of 
  their 
  ship, 
  cutting 
  off 
  only 
  the 
  most 
  tender 
  of 
  the 
  twigs 
  and 
  letting 
  them 
  fall 
  to 
  

   the 
  earth, 
  so 
  that 
  the 
  females 
  who 
  are 
  below 
  may 
  eat 
  them. 
  I 
  will 
  not 
  venture 
  to 
  say 
  

   what 
  cause 
  influences 
  the 
  males 
  to 
  be 
  so 
  complaisant, 
  since 
  the 
  instinct 
  is 
  not 
  revealed; 
  

   and 
  this 
  gallantry 
  being 
  but 
  ill 
  reciprocated 
  by 
  the 
  ungrateful 
  females, 
  leads 
  the 
  males 
  

   to 
  descend 
  from 
  the 
  shrubs, 
  taking 
  flight 
  and 
  pursuing 
  them. 
  With 
  frequent 
  similar 
  

   pauses 
  they 
  finally 
  come 
  together 
  in 
  some 
  uncultivated 
  ground, 
  when 
  the 
  males 
  give 
  

   vent 
  to 
  their 
  desires, 
  and 
  the 
  females 
  deposit 
  their 
  eggs 
  in 
  the 
  manner 
  already 
  re- 
  

   ferred 
  to. 
  

  

  What 
  a 
  terrible 
  spectacle 
  it 
  must 
  be 
  for 
  a 
  poor 
  husbandman 
  to 
  look 
  upon 
  his 
  fields 
  

   when 
  these 
  insects 
  have 
  devoured 
  the 
  whole 
  harvest. 
  A 
  countryman 
  of 
  judgment, 
  as 
  

   many 
  are 
  in 
  the 
  regions 
  of 
  Spain, 
  finding 
  himself 
  present 
  with 
  me 
  at 
  such 
  a 
  scene 
  of 
  

   destruction, 
  and 
  seeing 
  his 
  fields 
  left 
  without 
  a 
  stalk 
  of 
  grain, 
  and 
  only 
  with 
  a 
  little 
  

   chaff, 
  exclaimed: 
  "If 
  these 
  accursed 
  females 
  were 
  not 
  so 
  prudish, 
  and 
  if 
  they 
  would 
  

   suffer 
  the 
  males 
  to 
  possess 
  them 
  in 
  the 
  country 
  where 
  they 
  were 
  born, 
  such 
  a 
  calamity 
  

   would 
  not 
  have 
  befallen 
  me 
  ; 
  but 
  the 
  rabble 
  fears 
  death, 
  and 
  strives 
  to 
  prolong 
  its 
  life 
  

   like 
  ourselves 
  because 
  it 
  knows 
  that 
  after 
  uniting 
  nothing 
  remains 
  to 
  it 
  but 
  to 
  lie 
  in 
  

   and 
  die." 
  

  

  All 
  history 
  and 
  tradition 
  declare 
  that 
  the 
  apparition 
  of 
  locusts 
  is 
  a 
  pest 
  which 
  has 
  

   afflicted 
  the 
  southern 
  provinces 
  of 
  Spain 
  from 
  time 
  immemorial 
  ; 
  and 
  I 
  remember 
  to 
  

  

  