Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1868-06-19
farat aad Haasshuia.
ALI About Seventeen Year Laeusts.

1851, ana Just at the all0teQ Time from tnaJ
date, are now putting la another appear
ance. The earis saluted with their sounds
in the woods and fields, where they were
heard in May and June, 1851, and for
every preceding seventeen years from time
immemoriaL The cycle Of wears has
moved around, and few of the living have
made note of the phenomenon.
IN 1881, celebrated physician OF Balti.
more, CDR. G.. B. Smith) who had studied
the history and paid attention to the hab-
It's Of this insect, gave the results OF his
investigation to the public. He stated
that they made their appearance above
ground from about the Goth of May tn
about the 5th Of June. At the time last
named all Win have got out Of the ground.
Farmers in Indiana have noticed their
holes within from six to twelve inches from
the outside Of the surface since the 10th
of May.
The description DR.. Smith gives of the
first appearance of the insect above
ground, and of its transition to the winged
state, is as interesting as it is minute, and
found to be accurate upon examination
and observation:
"When they come up from the earth
always about daylight or little before
they Immediately climb the first object
they meet with--a tree, a bush, or stake,
anything-two or three feet. They then
lay hold of the bark, fixing themselves
firmly by their claws. and commence work
ing themselves out of their old shell, which
is done by rupturing themselves on the
back, between the shoulders, and drawing
themselves out. AS soon as they get fairly
out they seize hold of the old shell with
their claws, raise themselves, and begin to
expand their wings. Their bodies and
wings at this time are exceedingly delicate,
white and moist; but few minutes ex-
posure to the air dries and hardens them,
so that by the time the sun has fairly risen
they are perfect and can fy The wings,
before sloughing, are beautifully folded up,
and it is a beautiful sight to see them un-
folded, and in a few minutes changed from
the most soft and delicate tissue to the firm
and rigid wing of the perfect insect. If it
be wet or very cloudy day they are apt
to perish in the operations of sloughing
and drying
at would be curious to imagine the ma
ture of that instinct which prompts the
insect to the effort to burst the barriers of
its outer covering for the attainment of a
new state of existence. Still more so to
imagine the joy and delight with which it
must enter upon it's aerial life, so different
from the dull, dark, and half torpid exist
ence which it passed under ground during
the previous seventeen years. The i'm
aginative Greeks typified by this species
OF transition the change which takes place
with man when the soul, passing from its
earthly existence, enters upon spiritual
life, and realizes the glories and splendors
of happy Immortality"
The season has been wet and unfavor-
able to their transition, and they have been
observed to fly, so soon as their wings are
dried, to the highest tree, singing as they
go. Whilst the sound is not unpleasant, it
is not so delightful as that of the tettix, &C
cording to the account given by the Greek
poets. 1t is far from being a sound that
hath charms.
CAS- destructive as the locusts Of Egypt
is an expression commonly used to repre-
sent the damage done by insects to the
Verdure of the forest, and to the grasses
and vegetation of the field and garden.
Locust is a word suggestive of nothing
that is agreeable.
The insect is spoken of in the Bible, anG
it has space in history. 1t formed apar
of the food in the land of Judea, allowed
as clean by law. The Saxon translation
has the name grasshopper, it may be the
same species upon which the D6gge1
Indians feed. Their form is the same
each being flying insect. Commenta
tors mention that they require but little
dressing, were light and easy of digestion
and it was an indication of the infirmities
of age when the grasshopper and Locust
shall be a burden to the stomach.
They are an excellent food for hogs, an6
swine should have exclusive monopoly O
the delicacy. a1
John the Baptist, an extraordinary man
"great in the sight of the Lord, in his
hOmely attire, wearing a coarse garment
of camers hair begirt around him, fuga
in his diet, passing as poor person, his
food frequently consisting of locusts and
wild honey, had a divine mission to per
form in the land of Judea. 1t was to full
fiji q prophesy, by humbling the proud, as
one of the means.
The following references to the locust
IN the Bible may be examined with in
Struction:
Leviticus XII. %; Psalms lxxxviii 46, CIV
81, elk. %; Joel i. A, ii. %; Exodus X,
Deuteronomy xviii, 80; Proverbs xxx
27; Isaiah XxXiii. 4 (; Nahum iii. 15 Mat
thew iii. 4 i; Revelations tx.
HIS insect is d nOrrlDlc plague TO TIT
earth; history presents its terrible raya
ges, producing famine and pestilence.
The Arabians have an account of thei
plague to Mohammed, saying: We ar,
an army of the Great God; we produce
ninety-nine eggs if the hundred were
completed, we should consume the whole
earth and all that is in it."
An ancient historian gives an account
of large army of locusts, that ravaged
Italy in the year 3d. and afterward being
cast in the sea, from their decaying carcas
es stencil was emitted producing such a
noisome pestilence as to destroy nearly a
million of men and beasts. 7t$8 /
Our locusts may not be so pestilential
as those of the ancients-yet they are as
destructive. They partake more of the
nature of the grasshopper Their appear
ance on the Western plains is a day OF
darkness and thick clouds, leaving not a
particle of green verdure behind. The
language of the prophet Joel is sublime
and adequately expresses a description OF
their destructive progress. The luxuri
ance of nature is destroyed and turned
soon into sickly decay. If there is any
difference between the insects of old and
those of the present day, it is certain that
they do not differ in being plagues.-Er.
change.