THE JUNE-BUG 247 



the vegetation in one county of Ireland, so that the 

 country presented the dead appearance of winter. 

 The sound made by the insects ' mandibles in brows- 

 ing the foliage of the trees was like that of a car- 

 penter's saw, and the hum of wings resembled the 

 distant beating of drums. Enveloped in clouds of 

 insects and blinded by the living hail, the inhabitants 

 could hardly see to go about. The famine was hor- 

 rible : the poor Irish people were even obliged to eat 

 the June-bugs to keep from starving. ' ' 



' ' Oh, how awful that must have been ! ' ' exclaimed 

 the group of listeners. 



"Yes, awful, indeed," assented Uncle Paul, "and 

 I have a few more instances to relate, less lamentable 

 than the Irish famine, it is true, but still of a nature 

 to show us how prodigious were the legions of June- 

 bugs in certain years. In 1832, in the neighborhood 

 of Gisors, a stage-coach became enveloped at night- 

 fall in a cloud of these insects. Blinded and terrified, 

 the horses obstinately refused to go on. Finally 

 there was nothing io do but turn about and go back, 

 so completely did the humming swarm bar the way. 

 Forty year-s ago the June-bugs descended upon 

 Macon after ravaging the vineyards in its vicinity. 

 They were scooped up in the streets by the shovelful, 

 and to make one 's way through the cloud of beetles 

 one had to clear a passage by the energetic brandish- 

 ing of a stick. 



' ' Since the June-bug is so redoubtable a scourge to 

 agriculture, since it is a foe with which one must 

 reckon most seriously, how, you will ask, is it to be 



