352 THE UNIVERSE. 



army Avhen he was crossing Bessarabia, and compelled him 

 to arrest his march. ^ 



In every age man has attempted to repel these formid- 

 able invasions. In ancient times severe laws ordained 

 the massacre of the wandering insects. In the island of 

 Lemnos, each private person was compelled to bring to 

 the magistrate a certain number of measures of locusts as 

 annual tribute. Pliny relates that in Cyrenaica the law 

 even compelled the people to make an exterminating war 

 upon them three days per year. Any citizen Avho refused 

 was punished as a deserter. 



The old naturalist maintains, that in Syria the Roman 

 legions were sometimes employed for this purpose. A 

 similar course has been adojited on various occasions in 

 modern times. 



]\I. Virey says that a few years ago in Transylvania 

 recourse was had to soldiers for the same pui'pose. Entire 

 regiments collected locusts, and 1500 men were occupied 



^ The historiiin of C'harles XII. sjjeaks in the following terms of the invasion 

 of locusts which arrested the march of this monarch's army. — "A horrible swarm 

 of locusts arose generally each day before noon on the side towards the sea; first 

 in little waves, and then in clouds which darkened the air and made it so sombre 

 and thick, that all over this vast plain the sun appeared entirely eclipsed. These 

 insects did not fly near the ground, but kept at about the same height as we see 

 the swallows, till they saw a field upon wdiich they could alight. We often met 

 them on the way, when they rose up with a sound like that of a tempest. Sub- 

 sequently they fell upon, us like a storm, threw themselves upon the very plain 

 where we were, and without any apparent dread of being crushed by the hoofs 

 of the horses, they rose from the ground and so covered our bodies and faces 

 that we could not see before us till we had passed the place wdiere they were. 

 Wherever these locusts rested they made frightful havoc, devouring every green 

 thing to the very roots, so that, instead of the beautiful verdure with which the 

 country was formerly covered, only a dry and sandy land could be seen. No 

 one would have believed that so small an animal could cross the sea, if experience 

 had not so often convinced those poor people of the fact; 3-et, after having passed 

 a small arm of the Euxine Sea, these insects traverse great provinces, where they 

 destroy everything they meet with, and even gnaw the doors of the houses." - 

 Hutoire Militaire de Charles XII., t. iv. p. 160. 



