Insects. 5737 



withered, — black, as may be commonly observed ; these are intermixed with green, 

 healthy plants: the dead ones have been killed by Cleonus. As the readiest way of 

 obtaining fine examples, and of saving time, let the collector dig up the dead plants 

 during this month: the roots are long and require digging deep for. On digging up 

 some at Deal I found, usually about six or eight inches under ground, a part of the 

 root swollen : this, in every instance, contained either larva, pupa or perfect insect. 

 There is no difficulty in breeding them: stick the dead, swollen portion of the root 

 into moist sand, and keep it so ; place them where they will have a little sun daily, 

 and they will soon arrive at maturity. I had a fine one out this morning. This may 

 be useful to young collectors. — Frederick Smith; 27, Richmond Crescent, Islington, 

 N., August 25.— Id. 



The Locust at Westminster. — About the second week in August a fine specimen of 

 the locust (Gryllus migratorius) flew into the bar of the ' King's Arms,' Millbank St., 

 Westminster, and was captured, and exhibited for some time under a glass shade on 

 the counter, where it attracted considerable attention. It was about three inches in 

 length. I have heard of several other captures of it in various parts of town, but this 

 is the only one that has come under my notice. — William Gostling ; 14, Chester 

 Place, Kenning ton Cross, September 4, 1857. 



The Locust in Suffolk. — A living male of the migratory locust was brought me 

 yesterday, the 20th of August. — J. S. Henslow ; Hitcham, Suffolk. 



The Locust at Highgate. — A specimen of the European locust rose at my feet in a 

 field in Kentish Town, close to the bottom of Highgate Hill. It kept taking short 

 flights, and, although I pursued it the whole length of the field, I could not succeed 

 in capturing it. The last time I saw it, it settled about fifty yards in front of me, 

 among some nettles (as far as I could see). Although I pulled the nettles up by the 

 roots, it did not appear again, and all my subsequent visits to the field were fruitless. 

 — F. A. Walker; St. Michaels House, South Grove, Highgate, August 24, 1857. 



The Locust in Ireland. — A live locust, a strange visitant to this part of the world, 

 may now be seen at this office. It was found in a field at Gortrush, in the neighbour- 

 hood of this town, by a son of Mr. John Houston, ironmonger, on Tuesday morning 

 last, the day after the thunderstorm. The young lad, seeing it hopping about, and 

 fancying it was a bird, with some difficulty caught it, and brought it to his father, 

 who kindly presented it to us. It is clearly a locust, that destructive insect whose 

 ravages are proverbial, — one of those whose approach, from the innumerable myriads 

 that compose their squadrons, is announced in prophetic language as a day of dark- 

 ness and of gloominess, and whose desolating march is thus described: — " The land 

 is as the Garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, 

 and nothing shall escape them." This locust is about 2^ inches long, strong in body 

 and very active. Has a locust been found in this country before? — Tyrone Constitution. 



The Locust in Scotland.— -On the 19th ultimo one of these insects was found alive 

 in a field on the farm of Achvochkie, in Strathspey, by Mr. James Grant, of Advie, 

 and is uow in the Elgin Museum. In an unusually hot summer, some ten years ago, 

 many locusts were found along the eastern counties of the island; so, in the present 

 season, we expect to hear of them in like numbers. The Rev. L. Shaw, in his ' His- 

 tory of the Province of Moray,' gives a lengthened description of this insect, and 

 records its occurrence in this district in 1748, the only notice, save a newspaper one 

 from Sutherland in 1846, that we have of these singular creatures having been de- 

 tected so far north in Scotland. — George Gordon ; Birnie, by Elgin, September, 1857, 



