Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1851-06-07
THE LoCUsTs.


habi,s of the Locust, by DIR. GIDEON b. SMITH,
Of Baltimore, (long careful observer Of the habits
Of the insectl will, at the present time, when our
avenues and gardens are vocal with the monoton-
Gus music of these unliring songsters, De interest
ing to many of our readers:
About the 18th Of June they commence deposng their
eggs This is very interesting sight You will see one
attached to limb or twg, and it will not fly away as you
approach Look closely and you will see It excavatng
hole in the limb with It's curious ovposor Watch close
w. and As soon as it has inserted the ovPositor completely
into the limb take hold of the insect and gently but quickly
draw forwards and apply the point of the ovsposor to
the pam of the hand when you will two eggs elected
into your hand quick succession They dePoste two eggs
At each insertion Of the ovpostor and generally five to ten
pairs In each place the limb. She then goes to other
places on the limb to some other limb and repeats
the operation till she has laid about four hundred eggs
The eggs are white pearl color, about the twelfth OF an
inch long and about cnesxth thick they are long,
is this operation that destroys the small limbs tine excava'
tons cutting off the sap vessels The time Of deposng the
continues iii about the goth Of June when they
All kinds Of and shrubs selected by them for their
deposite ercept pines other tupentine frees They 90
no, seem TO select the hardest the most soft WOOD but
that which is shout the size Of their bodies or less seems 70
be chosen the operation requiring them to grasp the sides
of the limb with their claws, which they could not DO so
well if the limbs were large BY graspng firmly with their
claws they able make great upon the point Of
the oypostor, and thus effect their object
From the lit to the 10Th Of June all shrubbery OF value
should be protected either by carefully covering Il with
cheap gauzs in the case OF pot plants ny keeping mem
in the house.
About the 25th Of July the eggs will be ready to hatch
Then take limb containing them, cut carefully till you ex-
pose the eggs and take them in the palm OF the hand and
they will hatch in few minutes The little insect frees
himself from The egg shell precisely in the same way that the
large did 10 the spring. BY Iupturng the shell on MS pac
4 tocsh hac offh n
search Of food Let him get the ground and you will
him work his way into follow him, and you will see hn
attach himself tender roots and other
and taking up the liquid exudaon rom tne ser-
only be made with good magmyng glass By the aid Of
the glass you will that the young insect has every feature
and member precisely the the large one had when
he from the ground in the spring BY carefully watch
ing, you will the young insect coming oat o. 'ne ground
You can sometimes great numbers falling from the high
trees They like little notes in the air and require sharp
sight to see them. They small and their apparent
specific gravity so INFERIOR that they not injured by the
fall.
About the 18th Of June the old locus viii have disappear
ed altogether.
The Iocuss do not 20 deep in the ground. They live
upon the vegetable juices OF the roots the surface which
they take with their shouts or rosrum There are three
small hairs the snou which, in feeding, projected and
spread out the surface Of the root leaves of trees and
these collect the juice and convey by capillary attraction to
the stomach. You this operation very distinctly in
the perfect insect by watching it with msgnifyng glass
They have mouth OF taking food either in the
arva or winged stale.
The ovipositor is curious instrument is about
three eghths Of an inch long, Of the Of small pin, fiat
tened the point and the whole forming moderate curve
is composed Of material very much resembling tortoise
SHELL Of dark reddish brown color. 1t is composed OF
three piece which is the tube duct and
side pieces The piece tube has very sharp
chise formed point with two sharp projecting points, one
above the other below the o6ce, resembling fshs mouth
The side pieces supplied With saw teeth on their
edges and their hataces They attached to
the piece by tongue and groove In the centre
piece is fixed firmly the bark, and the two side pieces
working up and down, first and the other, alter
naey, and thus the excavation made All this, however,
can only be with the aid of powerful magnyng glass;
On looking the instrument with the naked eye such
mechanism would be suspected. NJ.
The musical also curious and difficult 10
describe Directly under tie shoulder of the wing each
side of the chest, there beautiful membrane somewhat
triangular, convex, and ribbed with bony ridges. This
membrane resembles small shell, and is stretched
cavity in the chest the lower angle connected internally with
strong muscle On the breast there two large scales
one each side firmly attached the breast sbve but free
below On bending the body backwards these scales ee
waited add expose large cavities also covered with
tremely fine and silk like membranes These cavities
connected with those under the musical membranes under
the wing shoulders and probably for lungs When
these cavities filled with air the musical organs
banes first described made to produce the sound by the
large muscles the b,ny ridges Of the membranes being
made to upon each other with such rapdty that the
ton is scarcely perceptible
The music song, or sound produced by the myriads Of
insects in dry day from about the 25th Of May TO
the middle Of June is wonderful It is not deafenng,
many describe its in its height does not interrupt
ordinary conversation. II like atmosphere of wild
monotonous sound which all other sounds float with per-
feet distincness could distinguish any thing like
the word "Pharaoh in these sounds After you have be.
come satisfied with the novelty Of this music which will be
in day two il becomes exceeding resome and doeu
and TO many disagreeable. TO it otherwise, and
when heard the last the 25h Of June the melan
choly reflection occurred, shall live to hear again
Probably the first indication many persons will have Of
the approach Of the locuss will be the industry with which
they will hnd the hogs roofing up the ground in April in the
woods and fields |, is great festival for them. And
as the lnsec,s appear above the ground chickens
keys and all poultry will also have their feast So fond are
Inc iowls BIRDS pigs &C. Of hes, insects that they will
scarcely touch other food during the locust season. This
has remarkable effect on oil hens eggs laid after the scus,s
appearthelr yolks nearly kte The chickens become
very fat and Of fine flavor. Even the little wren will be
seen Tying OIL with locust IN its mouth and all the nsec-
tvorous birds then have great festival .u
In conclusion, people ought to be alarmed The
on its wings does no: indicate war nor the England
The sting Of the locust never killed any body for the
best Of all reasons-becaufe it has The insect has
neither means OF offence nor deence and all the stories that
are told Of children being killed by their ,ng OF bite are
fabulous If death produced, or any less injury
when locuss were present, other effected it,
PorULlrIoN THE RUSSIAN EMPIRE.-The Russian
Ministry published the census Of the Empire for the
year ls46. European Russia contains So $685. 34 souls
in the four Western Governments of Siberia 2I5s
the kngdomo Russian Poland $780, 900 h is an approx
=. Il