42 REPORT UNITED STATES ENTOMOLOGICAL COMMISSION. 
most dirty and nasty colored wiDgs ; and these are plentiful food and provision for 
them all their days. 
In the year 62 of the Christian era a plague of locusts spread over Upper Mesopo- 
tamia, and devoured vegetation to such an extent that the Parthian campaign was 
stopped for want of forage 6 ". 
Capt. Charles C. Frankland 62 , July 20 and 27, at Smyrna — 
At this period an immense flight of locusts (which indeed had for some days shown 
themselves in great numbers) passed over thecity, falling upon the roofs of the houses 
where they lay two or three inches deep, and tumbled into the sea in such quantities 
that they could be traced in continuous streams for many leagues from the land, re- 
sembling in color and appearance so many millions of broiled shrimps. These insects 
being brought by the sea-breeze into the harbor, were thrown upon the shore and 
against the quays in such masses that their putrified carcasses infected the air in all 
directions. The passage of these animals lasted during many days, and at night as 
they crossed over the disk of the moon, by reflecting the light as they shot across the 
face of the planet, they resembled so many flakes of snow, or almost as many shoot- 
ing stars. The heat of the weather at this period (87 c ) was so intense that during 
the night I was always obliged to sleep with my windows open, the consequence of 
"which was that the locusts used to tumble into my room and upon my musquito cur- 
tains, and by hopping about the floor, and creeping into my bed, generally annoyed 
me considerably. 
He observes further that there were two kinds, one more lubberly and 
less active than the other. M. Lefebvre 63 states that during one of his 
voyages, while in the vicinity of Smyrna, " the earth was covered in a 
short time to the depth of about two inches with a quantity of insects 
appertaining to the species (Edipoda cruciata Charp." 
Corance 64 observed during many years residence in the island of Cy- 
prus, that regularly inside of two years swarms of locusts were thrown 
upon the north coasts of the island by the north wind, from the shores 
of Carmania, which completely laid waste the country. Hasselquist 65 
remarks that on his return from Cyprus to Smyrna they were becalmed 
for some days on the coast of Carmania, when they daily got some grass- 
hoppers on board from the continent, and that he then was enabled to> 
observe what miserable sailors these insects are. He observes that in 
the month of May and June a number of them were seen coming from 
the south, directing their course to the northern shore. " They darken 
the sky like a thick cloud, but scarcely have they quitted the shore be- 
fore they, who have ravaged and ruined the country, cover the surface 
of the sea with their dead bodies/' He says they come from the deserts 
of Arabia, take their course over through Palestine, Syria, Carmania, 
Natolia — go sometimes through Bithynia by Constantinople, and con- 
tinue their journey through Poland, &c. An assumption we think in 
great part unwarranted. 
It is somewhat singular that neither of the early travelers in Pales- 
tine — Arculf, Willibald, Bernard the Wise, Seawulf, Sigurd the Crusa- 
610 Tacitus, Ann., xt, 5. — Kawlinson, Sixth Orient. Mon., 273. 
62 "Travels to and from Constantinople in 1827-'28,'' vol. i, 264. 
63 Annales Soc. Ent. France, 1833, ii, 338. 
« " Itineraire," Paris 1816, p. 238.— Ritter. 
66 " Voyages and Travels in the Levant, 1749-'52, r Engl, transl.. 444. 
