NATURAL HISTORY. ay 
thield that covers the back is greenifh; and the upper fide of the body 
brown, {potted with black, and the under fide purple. The upper wings’ 
are brown, with fmall dufky fpots, with one larger at the tips; the’ 
Under wings are more tranfparent, and of alight brows, tinéured withr 
Sreen, but there is a dark clowd: of fpots near the tips. This is that in« 
fect that has threatened us fo often with its vifitations ; and that is fo" 
truly terrible in the countries’ where it is bred. There is no animal it 
the creation that multiplies fo faft as thefe, if the fun be warm, and’ 
the foil in which their eggs are depofited:be dry. Happily for us, the 
Coldnefs of our climate, and the humidity of our foily are no way fae 
Vourable to their production ; and they are but, the animals of a yeary 
they vifit us and periflt. ‘ 
The Seripture, which: was written in a'country where the locuft made’ 
% diftinguithed feature in the pi@ure of Nature, has given us feveral 
Very ftriking images of this animal’s numbers and rapacity. It com 
Pares an army, where’ the numbers arée’almoft infinite, to a fwarm of 
locufts ; it deferibes them as-rifing out of the earth, where they are pro» 
duced; as purfuing a fettled march to deftroy the fruits of the earth}: 
and co-operate with Divine Indignation. 1 
When the locufts take the field, as weareé aflured,. they have a leader 
at their head, whofe flight they obferve, and pay a ftrié attention to’ 
all his motions. They appear, at a diftance, like a black cloud, whichy 
4s it approaches, gathers upon the horizon, and almoft hides the light 
Of the day. It often happens that the hufbandman fees this imminent 
Calamity pafs away without doing, him any mifchiefs and the whole 
fwarm proceed onward, to fettle upon the labours of fome lefs fors 
_ tunate country. But wretched is the diftriét upon which they fettle » 
ey ravage the meadow and the pafture ground; ftrip the trees of 
their leaves, and- the garden of its beauty + the vifitation of a few mis 
Rutes deftroys the expectation of a year; and a famine but too fre« 
uently enfues. Intheir native tropical climates they are not fo dreads 
ul as in the more fouthern parts of Europe. There, though the plair 
and the forelt be ftriped of their verdure, the power of vegetation is fo 
Sreat, that an interval of three or four days repairs’ the calamity: bus 
Sur verdure is the livery of a feafon y and we mutt wait till the enfuing 
{pring repairs the damage. Befides, in their long flights to this part 
f the world, they are famithed by the tedioufneds of their journey, and: 
are therefore more voracious wherever they happen to fettle. But if 
8 not by what they devour that they do fo much damage as by what 
they deftroy. Their very bite is thought to contaminate the plant, 
and to prevent its vegetation. To ufe the expreflion of the hufband+ 
Man, they burn whatever they touch and leave the marks of their des 
_ Yaftation for two or three years enfuing. But if they be noxions while 
‘ing, they are ftill more fo when dead 5. for wherever they fall, they 
Mfed the air in fuclita manner that the {mell is infwpportable. Oro# 
Ms tells us, that in the year 3800, there was an incredible number of 
Sculls which infefted Africa; and, after having eaten up every thing 
that was green, they flew off and were drowned in the African fea 
where they caufed fuch a ftench, that the putrifying bodies of hundreds 
® thoufands of men could not equal it. ; ; 
_in the year 1690, a cloud of locults was feen to enter Raffia in threa 
ferent places; and from thencé to {pread themfelves over Poland 
=: : ange 
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