56 G R U L U S. 
wings from the dampnefs of the night, the females feem 
uneafy at the forwardnefs of the males, who continuing 
their purfuit, they rife togetheivfive hundred feet high, 
fovming a black cloud that darkens the rays of the fun. 
The clear atmofphere of Spain becomes gloomy, and the 
finely fuminer day of Eftramadura more difmal than the 
winter of Holland. The ruffling of fo many millions of 
wings in the air, feems like the trees of a foreft agitated 
by the wind. The firft diredfion of this formidable co¬ 
lumn is always againff the wind, which if not too ftrong, 
the column will extend about a couple of leagues. The 
locufts then make a halt, when the mod dreadful havoc 
begins ; their fenfe. of fmell being fo delicate, they can 
find at that didance a corn-field or a garden, and after 
demolifhing it, rife again in purfuit of another : this 
may be faid to be done in an inftant. Each feems to 
have, as.it were, four arms and two feet p the males 
climb up the plants, as failors do the Ihrouds of a fltip, 
and nip off the tendered buds, which fall to the females 
below. 
“ Many old people adured me, when fo much mifehief 
was done in 1754, it was the third time in their remem¬ 
brance, and that they always are found in the pafture. 
grounds of Eftramadura, from whence they fpread into 
the other provinces of Spain. They are certainly indi¬ 
genous, being of a different fhape from thofe of the 
North or the Levant, as is evident in comparing them 
with fuch in the cabinets of natural hiftory. Thelocuft 
of Spain is the only one that has rofe-coloured wings : 
belides, it is impofiible they can come from any other 
part. From the north it is clear they do not, by the ob- 
fervation of fo many ages; from the fouth they cannot, 
without eroding the fea, which is hardly polnble by the 
diortnefs of their flight, and, like birds of padage, they 
would be known. I once faw a cloud of them pals over 
Malaga, and move towards the fea, and go over it, for 
about a quarter of a league, to the great joy of the in¬ 
habitants, who concluded they would foon be drowned ; 
but, to their difappointment, they fuddenly veered about 
towards the coad, and pitched upon an uncultivated 
fpace furrounded with vineyards, which they foon after 
quitted. When once they appear, let the number de- 
molidied be ever fo great, the proportion remaining is 
dill too conddei'able ; therefore, the only way to put an 
end to fuch a calamity, is to attack them beforehand, 
and dedroy their eggs,-by which means they might be 
totally extirpated.” 
127. Gryllus elephas: thorax carinate, entire; body 
apterous. Inhabits Africa. 
128. Gryllus fuccin&us: keel and hind margin of the 
thorax and dorfal margin of the wing-cafes yellow. In¬ 
habits India. See Plate II. fig. 11. 
129. Gryllus cridatus: thorax creded, with a four, 
cleft ridge : wdngs variegated, brown at the lower mar¬ 
gin. This is one of the larged fpecies of locud yet 
known; and, together with fome others of the larger 
kind, is made ufe of in fome parts of the world as an 
article of food : they are eaten both frelli and falted, in 
which lad date they are publicly fold in the markets of 
fome parts of the Levant. The quantity of edible fub- 
ftance they afford is but final], elpecially in the male 
infedts; but the females, on account of the ovaries, 
afford a more nutritious fudenance. It is well known 
that different interpretations have been fometimes given 
of the padage in the facred writings in which John the 
Baptifl is faid to have fed on locufts and wild honey; 
and the s word has been fuppofed to mean the 
young fhoots of vegetables rather than locufts; but, 
fince the fad; is edablirtied, that thefe infeds are dill 
eaten by the inhabitants of the Eaft, there feems not 
the lead reafon for admitting any other interpretation 
than the ufually received one. Why diould we wonder 
that the abdemious prophet, during his date of folitary 
feclufion from the commerce of the world, diould fup- 
port himfelf by a repuft which is to be numbered, not 
among the luxuries of life, but merely regarded as a 
fubditute for food of a more agreeable nature ? We rnay 
alfo adduce in fupport of this idea the tedimony of Haf- 
felquid, who thus exprefles himfelf on this very fub- 
jed : “ They "who deny infeds to have been the food 
of this holy man, urge, that this infed is an unaccudom. 
ary and unnatural food; but they would foon be con¬ 
vinced to the contrary, if they would travel hither, to 
Egypt, Arabia, or Syria, and take a meal with the 
Arabs. Roafted locuds are at this time eaten by the 
Arabs, at the proper feafon, when they can procure 
them; fo that in all probability this difli had been ufed 
in the time of St. John. Ancient cudoms are not here 
fubjed to many changes, and the viduals of St. John 
are not believed unnatural here; and 1 was allured by 
a judicious Greek pried, that their church had never 
taken the word in any other fenfe; and he even laughed 
at the idea of its being a bird or a plant.” 
The gryllus cridatus above-mentioned is a highly 
beautiful animal; being of a bright red, with the body 
annulated with black, and the legs varied with yellow; 
the upper wings tefl’elated with alternate variegations of 
dark and pale green; the lower with tranfverfe undu¬ 
lated dreaks. The length of the animal from head to 
tail is about four inches,p and the expanfe of wings from 
tip to tip, when fully extended, hardly lefs than feven 
inches and a half. 
130. Gryllus dux ; the Honduras locud : thorax cari. 
nate, rough; wing-cafes green; lower wings rufous, 
Ipotted with blackilh brown. Antennae black; head 
yellowidi; thorax greenilh, with paleraifed dots; wing- 
cafes with yellow nerves; hind-margin of the wings 
brown; body and legs greenilh. Inhabits South Ame¬ 
rica. Platell. fig. 12, (hews the perfetl animal; fig. 13, 
the larva. 
131. Gryllus carina: thorax carinate, with a trifid 
cred ; wings with a black band. Thorax rough ; wing- 
cafes greenilh ; hind-thighs carinate each dde, rough, 
and reticulate with raifed lines; (hanks very fpinous. 
Inhabits the Ead. 
132. Gryllus lunus: fegments of the thorax with a 
femiorbicular cred ; wing-cafes black, with white bands. 
Wings black, immaculate. Inhabits South America. 
133. Gryllus reticularis: thorax boat-lhaped, length¬ 
ened and acute behind ; wing-cafes reticulate. Head 
ferruginous; mouth fpotted with black; antennae fer¬ 
ruginous, the fird and lad joints black; thorax with a 
trifid cred, ferruginous, the keel and abbreviated late¬ 
ral line black ; wing-cafes black, reticulate with yellow; 
legs black, rufous beneath. Inhabits Tranquebar. 
1J4. Gryllus gallinaceus: thorax boat-diaped, very 
large, lengthened at each end, and with the wing-cafes 
brown, immaculate; hind-thighs compreffed, ferrate. 
Antennae very fhort, brown; thorax compreffed, cover¬ 
ing the head and more than half the body ; wing-cafes 
flexuous at the outer margin; wings yellowidi, pointed, 
and brown at the tip; fore-thighs channelled beneath; 
hind-lhanks fpinous, the fpine at the bafe larger and 
membranaceous. Inhabits Ead India. 
135. Gryllus ferripes: thorax boat-lhaped, lengthened 
behind; wing-cafes brown; hind-thighs ferrate. Front 
flat; head and thorax brown varied with pale ; keel of 
the thorax very much elevated, lharp, and impreffed each 
fide; hind-thighs cinereous, ferrate above, channelled 
beneath; (hanks fpinous. Inhabits America and India, 
136. Gryllus ferratulus : thorax boat-lhaped, carinate, 
ferrate, lengthened, and (harp behind. Head pointed, 
abdomen blue. Inhabits Africa. 
137. Gryllus turcicus: thorax boat-lhaped; body ci¬ 
nereous; wing-cafes with a brown band and bafe 5 wings 
black at the bafe. Keel of the thorax teftaceous; legs 
cinereous. Inhabits India; fmall. 
138. Gryllus miliaris: thorax nearly fquare, warty; 
wing-cafes with wlrite callous dots. Scutel rounded, 
toothed at the edge. Inhabits America. 
139. Gryllus 
