Delaware gazette and peninsula advertiser. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1814-1820, 1817-05-31
The LOCUSTS.

oil the southern papers, Thai ZIG locua'Sl
were expected to make their appear-
ance in the United States this sum-
mer, the following account of the ma
ture and ravages Of that famous de-
stroyer Of the vegetable kingdom in
Africa, extracted from captain Eiley'sl
N,arratiuc, will be read with new in
terest. N. I. r.. Post.
"The largest African locust is a
bout four ches in length, and one
inch in diameter he has the most
voracious appetite of any insect in the
world, and deyours grass, grain. the
leaves of trees, and every green thing,
with indiscriminate and merciless
avidity. They go forth by bands or
flights, and each fight is said to have
a king, which directs its movements
with great regularity. Locusts can
fly only when their wings are perfect
ly dry; and when they rise, they
always fly offbeiore the wind. and fill
The air like an immense cloud Of thick
smoke when the leader alishts mp
on the ground. all the flight follow his
example as fast as possible.-I'hey
are at times so numerous, that they
may be said 10 cover the whole face
OF the country; they then deyoul
every spear of grass and grain, even
seating it into the ground, dislodging
it root and branch, cutting off all the
leaves from the shrubs and trees, and
sometimes all the bark from tender
trees in a whole province, and that too
in u very short space Of time.
The present African locnsts are Of
Tie SINE pare ri ;..st,4fe tt.af a,e men.
lloutd in the Bible, as one OF III.
plaques sent upon the land of Egynt
by the Almighty: they have Away,
been considered in the countries where
they usually commit ravages as :
sconrge from heaven, and as a punish
rnent for the sins Of the people. The
locust has been DESCRIBED, as being
produced by some unknown pliysica
cause, different from the 0riIinar,
mode Of animal production: thi, is i
mistake: when | was at Mosadorc
MIR. Wiltshire told me that the To-
Gusts were produced by a very vel
known and natural cause; that thu
female. little before the flights dis
appear for the season, thrusls hen
hinder parts iato the surface of tIlI
ground up TO her wings, first having
found suitable spot OF earth for tina
purpose: here she forms cell If
shape like that made by the bee, bu,
from one TO three inches in depth
and one to Two iuel.us All u'aiIittri'
Having unaue the sides OF the eel
strong by means of a glutinous mat.
ter, viii she has the power of pro
dueing, she deposits her eggs, which
are blarkish, and so small, rs scarcely
TO be distnguisllabie with the naked
eye: each cell IS filled .uii, and con.
t.!us an ,nni-Ese Ha'ii!,tr Of eggs
She then seais il over carefully Wit
the saiae ki,d o. glUtinous matter oI
WlIici. the inside Of ,lir cell is formed
ard ecselii!s il 33er with earth, siie
iciyes it TO be hate l:et. oit by the heat
OF the sun in due time, Hhirii general
~ hap!ris III the month Of january
the eggs in one cell alone produce q
host OF Iorusts. amounting to near 4
million. opened and examined Sc.
yerai reIis iii and near garden. NV.
miles from Aiogaloie, and was muel
surprised TO see the eggs lie thick to
gether in ont mass, Ike tia spawn o.
fishes. l took up some OF il on I'll,
Up Of q sharp pointed pcnkniie, an,
separating and counting the eggs, b,
means Oh "a microscope. as accuratel,
as possible. | enumerated seven hund
red and forty one admitting tha
every egg would produce locust, an,
that the number contained in the small
portion on the point Of the penknit;
was the one thousandth part OF tn
whole maas. (Which is a low estimate.
IL proves that single locust coul
produce III one season, even If 81,
fills but one cell, upwards Of half
million of her species.
When the locust is lratcled, h
crawls ont of the earth little worn
OF a light brown color, and the Who'll
cell OF them are said TO hatch ahot
the same time. his host OF worm
creep forth from the ground, an
commence t''aic march, all going or
course, dds the mort
or ives ing gree
that leavii