﻿LOCUSTS 
  IN 
  INDIA. 
  [81] 
  

  

  and 
  by 
  no 
  means 
  certainly 
  successful, 
  and 
  the 
  destruction 
  of 
  the 
  young 
  

   when 
  first 
  hatched 
  is 
  an 
  exceedingly 
  simple 
  operation, 
  and 
  certain 
  and 
  

   effectual 
  in 
  its 
  results. 
  

  

  T. 
  H. 
  THORNTON, 
  Esq., 
  

  

  Secretary 
  to 
  Government. 
  

  

  Dhimbum, 
  June 
  21, 
  1878. 
  

  

  In 
  reply 
  to 
  your 
  memorandum 
  dated 
  14th 
  instant, 
  I 
  have 
  the 
  honor 
  

   to 
  inform 
  you 
  that 
  all 
  monegars 
  have 
  been 
  directed 
  to 
  send 
  immediate 
  

   reports 
  of 
  the 
  appearance 
  of 
  locusts 
  in 
  their 
  villages. 
  

  

  I 
  have 
  personally 
  destroyed 
  three 
  separate 
  swarms 
  of 
  locusts 
  on 
  these 
  

   hills, 
  and, 
  from 
  all 
  I 
  can 
  hear, 
  this 
  is 
  evidently 
  a 
  regular 
  breeding 
  ground. 
  

   Of 
  course 
  some 
  escaped, 
  but 
  I 
  believe 
  I 
  am 
  not 
  exaggerating 
  when 
  I 
  say 
  

   I 
  destroyed 
  millions. 
  

  

  I 
  lighted 
  fires 
  about 
  a 
  yard 
  wide 
  in 
  a 
  semicircular 
  form 
  for 
  about 
  100 
  

   yards, 
  and 
  then 
  with 
  the 
  aid 
  of 
  coolies 
  drove 
  the 
  young 
  locusts 
  into 
  the 
  

   fire 
  ; 
  those 
  that 
  attempted 
  to 
  return 
  were 
  killed 
  by 
  the 
  coolies, 
  who 
  

   were 
  armed 
  with 
  branches 
  of 
  trees. 
  In 
  two 
  places 
  I 
  found 
  them 
  so 
  nu- 
  

   merous 
  that 
  I 
  set 
  tire 
  to 
  the 
  grass, 
  as 
  the 
  only 
  means 
  of 
  destroying 
  them. 
  

   So 
  great 
  were 
  the 
  numbers 
  that 
  the 
  smell 
  arising 
  from 
  the 
  burnt 
  insects 
  

   was 
  positively 
  offensive, 
  and 
  I 
  believe 
  that 
  the 
  comparatively 
  few 
  that 
  

   escaped 
  were 
  mostly 
  too 
  much 
  hurt 
  to 
  live. 
  

  

  Nothing 
  will 
  induce 
  the 
  young 
  insects 
  to 
  separate, 
  and 
  I 
  found 
  I 
  could 
  

   have 
  a 
  succession 
  of 
  "drives," 
  as 
  by 
  giving 
  them 
  an 
  hour's 
  rest 
  those 
  

   that 
  escaped 
  invariably 
  collected 
  together 
  again 
  j 
  so 
  I 
  was 
  enabled 
  to 
  

   continue 
  their 
  destruction 
  from 
  8 
  a. 
  m. 
  to 
  5 
  p. 
  m. 
  

  

  A. 
  0. 
  McGregor, 
  

  

  Deputy 
  Collector 
  Northern 
  Division 
  of 
  Coimhatore. 
  

  

  MuDiVED, 
  July 
  9, 
  1878. 
  

  

  I 
  have 
  to 
  report 
  the 
  appearance 
  of 
  locusts 
  in 
  this 
  district. 
  One 
  swarm 
  

   was 
  first 
  noticed 
  by 
  the 
  sub-collector 
  yesterday 
  evening 
  at 
  Kandlama- 
  

   dugu, 
  and 
  1 
  noticed 
  the 
  same 
  swarm 
  passing 
  to 
  the 
  eastward 
  as 
  I 
  rode 
  

   here 
  this 
  morning. 
  The 
  villagers 
  here 
  tell 
  me 
  that 
  another 
  swarm 
  left 
  this 
  

   village 
  yesterday 
  morning 
  and 
  flew 
  away 
  to 
  the 
  east, 
  but 
  apparently 
  tak- 
  

   iog 
  a 
  more 
  northerly 
  direction 
  than 
  the 
  swarm 
  I 
  saw 
  this 
  morning. 
  In 
  

   this 
  village 
  no 
  eggs 
  have 
  been 
  found 
  as 
  yet. 
  Ten 
  acres 
  of 
  very 
  young 
  

   sazza 
  were 
  destroyed 
  in 
  this 
  village, 
  and 
  the 
  leaves 
  of 
  sugar-cane 
  were 
  

   also 
  eaten, 
  but 
  the 
  crops 
  will 
  survive. 
  

  

  The 
  villagers 
  of 
  Kandlamadugu 
  drove 
  the 
  locusts 
  from 
  their 
  fields, 
  

   and 
  this 
  I 
  believe 
  to 
  be 
  quite 
  possible 
  from 
  the 
  manner 
  in 
  which 
  my 
  

   horse 
  disturbed 
  some 
  locusts 
  this 
  morning. 
  

  

  Some 
  ten 
  persons 
  trailed 
  branches 
  over 
  the 
  sugar-cane, 
  and 
  this 
  failed 
  

   to 
  remove 
  the 
  locusts. 
  If 
  ryots 
  would 
  combine, 
  they 
  could, 
  with 
  the 
  aid 
  

   of 
  cattle, 
  drive 
  locusts 
  from 
  a 
  dry 
  crop 
  and 
  save 
  it, 
  if 
  this 
  be 
  done 
  im- 
  

   mediately 
  a 
  swarm 
  alight. 
  

  

  The 
  locusts 
  came 
  from 
  the 
  westward, 
  and 
  most 
  probably 
  from 
  the 
  

   Mysore 
  country, 
  where 
  I 
  believe 
  the 
  swarms 
  are 
  very 
  numerous. 
  

  

  W. 
  D. 
  HORSELY, 
  Esq., 
  

  

  Collector 
  of 
  Cuddapah. 
  

  

  