150 



The Naturalist. 



Europe, the region of the Black Sea, Himalaya region and Manilla, 

 while P. cinerascens inhabits South-west Europe, the Mediterranean 

 region, Greece, Syria, Algeria, Madeira, Canary Isles, Bengal, 

 Manilla, Australia, and New Zealand. De Selys-Longchamps adds 

 that P. cinerascens is not erratic in Belgium ; that it is reproductive 

 there every year, though very local ; and that it is also a truly 

 indigenous species in South France, in Spain, and in Portugal. 



It would be very interesting to know whether these insects actually 

 breed in our country, or whether the specimens which so often occur 

 here are merely visitors from the continent ; but the materials at our 

 disposal are hardly sufficient for this purpose. 



Baron de Selys-Longchamps, indeed, is persuaded that P. cineras- 

 cens is truly a native of Britain, and this view would appear to be 

 supported by such facts as that it is known to breed on the nearest 

 parts of the Continent ; that locusts appear to occur so often in this 

 country when there is a medium for preserving records ; and that 

 sometimes they seem to affect particular places in large numbers 

 during several sequences of years. I will instance the district of 

 Holderness, of which Spurn Point is the apex. My records show that 

 locusts occurred there abundantly in 1842 and 1846 ; also in 1858 

 and 1859, in which years they appeared to be confined to the 

 Holderness district ; and again in 1875 and 1876 Spurn appeared to 

 furnish about the half of the whole numbers recorded. 

 • On the other hand, it does not appear that immature specimens 

 have ever been found, unless the very few examples recorded as 

 having been taken so early as July can be regarded as such ; and the 

 fact of the largest numbers being recorded actually upon or near the 

 East coast seem to point in the direction of immigration, direct from 

 the European Continent. 



Possibly the truth may be intermediate between the two extremes ; 

 that the major portion of the occurrences are truly " invasions " ; and 

 that occasionally the invasion of one year may give rise to the home- 

 bred occurrences of the succeeding one. 



Here I must leave the question, and conclude by thanking those 

 friends who have so kindly assisted me in the compilation of this 

 account ; and I shall at all times be most happy to receive informa- 

 tion upon the subject of invasions of this country by locusts, and that 

 my interest in it will not be abated or terminated with the publication 

 of the present paper. 



Leeds, Feb. 5th, 1877. 



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