September i, 1891] 



THE HUMMING BIRD. 



67 



C \t Humming |5trb\ 



The Pilgrim Locust. 



Continued from page 52. 



Since the publication of my first notice on the 

 Pilgrim Locust (" Humming Bird," pp. 51-52) great 

 havoc of property has been made by these insects in 

 Algeria, Tunis, and Morocco. The French Parliament 

 has voted large sums of money for their destruction. 

 The Paris Museum of Natural History has sent in 

 Algeria Mr. Brongniart, with the special mission to 

 study the invasion of these insects and the means to 

 destroy them. It appears that Mr. Brongniart has 

 been successful so far in the mission entrusted to him. 



He has discovered in a field, covered with dead 

 bodies of locusts, a parasitic mushroom which de- 

 stroys them, and which develops itself with the same 

 rapidity as these acridian insects. 



It is to be hoped that Mr. Brougniart's process of 

 procreating this parasitic mushroom in immense 

 numbers will be successful, and will be the means to 

 check their propagation ; but I am still of opinion 

 that an agreement should be entered at once by 

 France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, and other countries for 

 the protection of the birds mentioned on page 52, viz. : 

 Merops apiaster, or Bee Eater; Sturnus vulgaris, or 

 Starling ; all species of Crows, and Magpies, Quails, 

 etc. 



It is only by employing all the means at their com- 

 mand that this plague will be successfully stopped, or, 

 at least, abated. 



Now I don't see why it should not be possible to 

 derive a benefit of such large numbers of insects for 

 industrial purposes. 



In this century of wonderful discoveries, when 

 chemistry is such a powerful agent for all purposes, I 

 think it would be quite easy to discover several means 

 of employing the said insects, either as manure, food, 

 etc. 



As manure, it is quite an easy thing, and I believe 

 that they have already been used for that purpose, 

 and there are no reasons why it could not be employed 

 with good results for other purposes. It only requires 

 to be analysed by competent chemists, so as to apply 

 it where wanted. As food, it is well known that the 

 negroes and the Arabs of the desert don't consider the 

 coming of the locusts as a plague, but the contrary. 

 They consider them as a manna sent to them by the 

 Almighty. They feed largely on them, boiled or 

 fried, and it is a perpetual festival during the time of 

 the invasion. They also make provisions of them for 

 future needs. For that purpose they gather as many 

 as they can, and bake or dry them in the sun. Well 

 dried, they keep for a long time. In America the 

 Indians eat the young and say that they are delicious. 



All sorts of animals feed on them, and I have often 

 seen dogs and fowls hunting and devouring them. 



Now I will suggest to the industrious one of my 

 ideas about them, and it is that I am certain that a 



very good food for poultry and other birds, and 

 probably also for dogs and other domesticated 

 animals, can be made with them, by gathering as 

 many of the young (and possibly also the mature 

 Insects), drying or baking them, and when so pre- 

 pared, to reduce them to powderin a special mill, and 

 mix it with farinaceous substances, so as to make a 

 paste easy to keep. 



I am satisfied that such a paste would be a very 

 acceptable food for many species of animals, and 

 would pay well to manufacture. 



There is an illimited field to explore in that direc- 

 tion ; as the Insects could be mad<* into a variety of 

 pastes, by mixing with different farinaceous sub- 

 stances, according to the use required. 



Here is a sure remedy which would cost nothing to 

 the Governments, and probably in a few years time 

 the arrival of locusts would be hailed with shouts of 

 joy, instead of shouts of imprecations as at present. 



I think that millions of money can be made with 

 this new Industry, and it only requires a small capital. 

 I am quite willing to help with my advice and my 

 share in money, any Society willing to undertake the 

 manufacture of Animal food and all other products, 

 which can be extracted from locusts. 



It will not be the first time that fortunes will be 

 made with my suggestions. I remember that in 1878, 

 I published a small pamphlet on the Objects exhibited 

 by myself in the Guatemala Section, Paris Interna- 

 tional Exhibition 1878, and in it I called the attention 

 of the public on the seeds of the Coyol Palm Trees, 

 Bactris viniferas and other species found in very large 

 quantities in all the tropical countries of Central and 

 South America, and since then, a great trade has been 

 made with these nuts for the excellent quality of their 

 oil which is much used as a condiment, and also for 

 superior soap making. 



This reminds me that a Chemist has also made use 

 of locusts for the manufacture of a good soap ; but I 

 am not aware if he has been able to get as many of 

 the Insects as he wanted. 



Probably the locusts could be used for many other 

 industrial purposes. Surely they must contain some 

 new Acids, susceptible of applications in Industry. 



We must always remember that every living being 

 has been created for a special purpose, and it is very 

 likely that some reasons exist for the periodical inva- 

 sions of locusts, and it would be well that scientific 

 International Commissions should be sent to study 

 these Insects, the countries where they come from, 

 the reasons of these invasions, etc. etc., and the best 

 methods to destroy them, if really injurious ; as all 

 Countries are greatly interested in the solution of such 

 problems. 



These Insects are to-day invading Tunisia, 

 Algeria and Morocco, but to-morrow they may pene- 

 trate on all the Continent, in India, China, Japan, 

 Australia, South Africa, etc., as they have done before ; 

 especially in Cyprus, Russia, France and Spain. 



In Cyprus, the number of locusts is constantly 

 increasing, and in 1882 they were so abundant that 

 the English Government did all he could to stop 

 that plague by offering from one half-penny to three 

 half pence, per pound of eggs. 



From July 1881 to February 1882, 1,329 tons of 



