﻿[IS] 
  REPORT 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  ENTOMOLOGICAL 
  COMMISSION. 
  

  

  May 
  7, 
  1878. 
  

  

  [From 
  Retired 
  Surgeon-Major 
  J. 
  Shortt, 
  M. 
  D., 
  to 
  C. 
  A. 
  Galton, 
  esq., 
  acting 
  secre- 
  

   tary 
  to 
  the 
  Board 
  of 
  Revenue, 
  dated 
  Yerkand, 
  March 
  27, 
  1878. 
  ] 
  

  

  As 
  locusts 
  are 
  said 
  to 
  be 
  causing 
  much 
  destruction 
  in 
  the 
  Tinnebelly 
  

   district, 
  I 
  beg 
  to 
  make 
  the 
  following 
  suggestions 
  for 
  their 
  extermina- 
  

   ition: 
  Locusts 
  should 
  be 
  destroyed 
  by 
  employing 
  men, 
  women, 
  and 
  

   .children, 
  if 
  available, 
  to 
  pick 
  them 
  off 
  the 
  infested 
  plants, 
  pull 
  off 
  their 
  

   heads, 
  and 
  throw 
  them 
  into 
  a 
  basket 
  for 
  subsequent 
  removal 
  to 
  a 
  pit 
  

   dug 
  for 
  the 
  purpose, 
  where 
  in 
  the 
  course 
  of 
  time 
  they 
  will 
  form 
  excel- 
  

   lent 
  manure. 
  A 
  search 
  must 
  be 
  made 
  for 
  their 
  eggs 
  in 
  all 
  the 
  districts 
  

   they 
  have 
  infested 
  j 
  these 
  should 
  be 
  collected 
  and 
  burnt. 
  A 
  third 
  ex- 
  

   ploratioi} 
  must 
  be 
  made 
  for 
  the 
  young 
  that 
  may 
  be 
  hatched; 
  these 
  must 
  

   be 
  destroyed 
  like 
  the 
  mature 
  insect. 
  When 
  locusts 
  have 
  invaded 
  a 
  

   large 
  held, 
  a 
  flock 
  of 
  sheep 
  or 
  goats, 
  even 
  cattle 
  in 
  large 
  numbers, 
  may 
  

   be 
  driven 
  through 
  them 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  trample 
  them 
  down 
  and 
  destroy 
  them. 
  

  

  (A 
  true 
  copy 
  and 
  extract.) 
  

  

  0. 
  A. 
  galto:n^, 
  

  

  Acting 
  Secretary. 
  

  

  Madura, 
  May 
  25, 
  1878. 
  

   They 
  (the 
  locusts) 
  went 
  on 
  increasing 
  in 
  size 
  and 
  number 
  day 
  by 
  day 
  

   and 
  progressed 
  rapidly 
  towards 
  the 
  north 
  and 
  west 
  till 
  at 
  last 
  they 
  

   spread 
  over 
  the 
  whole 
  division 
  and 
  destroyed 
  all 
  the 
  flourishing 
  crops 
  

   before 
  them, 
  leaving 
  nothing 
  that 
  could 
  be 
  of 
  any 
  use 
  to 
  the 
  ryots 
  be- 
  

   hind, 
  to 
  the 
  great 
  disappointment 
  and 
  fear 
  of 
  the 
  hopeful 
  ryots. 
  They 
  

   do 
  not 
  seem 
  to 
  have 
  disappeared 
  from 
  the 
  district 
  yet, 
  but 
  are 
  met 
  with 
  

   Jieye 
  and 
  there 
  in 
  small 
  numbers, 
  though 
  not 
  in 
  swarms 
  as 
  before 
  j 
  and 
  

   nothing 
  is 
  known 
  of 
  their 
  ultimate 
  destination 
  or 
  the 
  length 
  of 
  their 
  

   probable 
  stay 
  in 
  the 
  division, 
  and 
  all 
  attempts 
  hitherto 
  made 
  by 
  the 
  

   ryots 
  to 
  destroy 
  them 
  or 
  check 
  their 
  ravages 
  by 
  throwing 
  sand, 
  ashes, 
  

   &c., 
  over 
  them, 
  or 
  by 
  beating 
  drums, 
  &c., 
  with 
  a 
  view 
  to 
  drive 
  them 
  out, 
  

   liave 
  proved 
  futile, 
  and 
  no 
  means, 
  it 
  is 
  reported, 
  can 
  possibly 
  be 
  de- 
  

   vised 
  by 
  them 
  for 
  their 
  effectual 
  destruction 
  and 
  annihilation. 
  

  

  SOORIAMOOETIA 
  PILLAI, 
  

  

  Deputy 
  Collector 
  on 
  General 
  Duties, 
  

  

  May 
  23, 
  1878. 
  

  

  With 
  reference 
  to 
  your 
  telegram 
  of 
  the 
  22d 
  instant, 
  I 
  beg 
  respectfully 
  

   to 
  inform 
  you 
  that 
  I 
  proceeded 
  to 
  Pothanore 
  as 
  quickly 
  as 
  possible. 
  The 
  

   Monegar 
  and 
  three 
  or 
  four 
  ryots 
  were 
  present, 
  but 
  did 
  not 
  know 
  where 
  

   the 
  locusts 
  were. 
  

  

  After 
  some 
  search 
  in 
  adjoining 
  fields 
  we 
  came 
  upon 
  three 
  swarms. 
  

   They 
  were 
  all 
  young 
  and 
  wingless, 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  size 
  and 
  color, 
  showing 
  

   that 
  they 
  must 
  be 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  age 
  and 
  species; 
  each 
  group 
  covered 
  a 
  

   small 
  patch 
  of 
  ground, 
  say 
  about 
  15 
  by 
  10 
  yards. 
  The 
  ryots 
  say 
  these 
  

   young 
  insects 
  must 
  have 
  immigrated 
  from 
  the 
  south; 
  that 
  no 
  large 
  

   flights 
  ever 
  alighted 
  on 
  their 
  fields, 
  though 
  they 
  passed 
  over 
  them 
  more 
  

   than 
  a 
  month 
  ago; 
  and 
  four 
  or 
  five 
  days 
  back 
  they 
  did 
  not 
  notice 
  this 
  

   pest. 
  

  

  I 
  got 
  about 
  40 
  men 
  with 
  sufficient 
  material 
  this 
  morning, 
  caused 
  

   rolls 
  of 
  paddy 
  straw 
  and 
  thirty 
  torches 
  to 
  be 
  prepared, 
  got 
  about 
  15 
  to 
  

   20 
  men 
  to 
  carry 
  torches 
  and 
  sticks, 
  and 
  the 
  others 
  carried 
  the 
  straw 
  and 
  

   .other 
  materials. 
  

  

  