West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1886-04-09
MOUSE PLAQUES.
rhey Excel the Locust Affections OF Evyp
of old.

rhey Excel the Locust AmIctionS OF Eyypt
of old
Ii - we'll known that the fauna Of
'merica, especially that of the higher
animals. prrScutS q large number of
peculiar type,
Under ordinary circumstances field
mice are not at all abundant. 80 that
at times naturalist> can secure Sprci-
mems of many species only with Diff
Guilty. ThcmoSt iucouceivablc increase
and abundance during certain wears,
to such an extent that they become "A
national calamity, i thus the moro re
markable. In the colony of Lourcncc
one of these remarkable VisitationS has
thus been described In the months of
May and June. 1876, they suddenly APP
peard i'm enormous numbers They
invaded the maize fields i'm such great
numbers that the corn seemed literally
alive with them, DESTROYING i'm few
days every thing that was edible; and
whore but a short time before bushels
of grain might have been harvested
not an ear remained and The noise
produced hy their nihbing and climb
ing was audible for considerable dis
tancc. After the cOm-GcldS were
devastated the potatoes next received
their attention. Only the largest were
eaten i'm the ground; such as were
transportablc were carried away and
hidden in hollow trees. or other re-
Greats, for future use. GourdS and
pumpkins even the hardest, were
Enawcd through and eaten. OF green
food, such a clover, Oats. barley, not
leaf was left standing; even weeds
were cut down and the inncr parts
eaten out
In the house the struggle for exist
cnce of these lOng-tailcd invader. was
truly amazing In many of the dwell
ings hundred, were killed i'm single
day. The eats could contribute but
little aid lighting such plague, for not
only were many of the rats so large
that IT would have been an unequal
contest, but 10y their great number they
drove the cats actually from the houses.
not To return until the plague was
passed Nothing except what was
composed of iron, stone or glass was
spared from their dcstructivcncss;
furniture, clothes. hats. books every
thing bore the traces of their teeth
They gnawcd the hoofs of COWS and
horses in the stable, literally ate up
hair of persons during sleep. They
penetrated all apartments and gnawcd
their way through boards and wall, of
houses. bitches that were dug about
granarics did not suffice; the mice
would climb over each other i'm some
corner or other, and thus reach the
top.
The foregoing account Of one occur
renee in Lourencc will suffice TO show
to what an extent the plague reaches
The same province had suffered simi-
Harry in lSi3 and 1868, and in all prob
ability will again in 1889 Our aston
ishment at the strange appearance and
disappearance of such ~warms of ami
NAL life is greatly increased when we
perceive i'm what q close relation of
cause and effect il stand, with the pres
encc or absence OF food supply; and
probably nowhere among the vertebrate
animals is the relation more apparent
than here
This food supply is derived from the
seeds of large bamboo grass (Ta-
quarry or CresciumO growing through
out Brazil This grass grows i'm dense
thickcts 10 the height of thirty or forty
feet, and bears a very large quantity of
seed. Its natural history is remarka-
BILE At regular intervals. varying i'm
the different specie, from six to thirty
years, II natures and blooms and then
disappears. Yet more remarkable i.
the uniformity with which il attains
maturity throughout an entire province,
If not the whole southern part OF Bra
zi
Similar plaques, though far less i'm
extent. have occurred in Europe, i'm
which the iicld-mice unaccountably ap-
pearcd in greatly increased numbers,
One may well think what would be- the
result were these little, almost insiV-
niiicant creatures everywhere i'm such
wise to take the asccndcncy When
one consider that on An average of
every one or two months from five to
eight young are born. and that these
young become mature in few months
themselves hc will not be surprised 10
know that q single pair Of common
iicld-mice, i'm the course Of single
summer. would increase 10 twenty
three thousand individuals. Could AN
the conditions which now keep them i'm
check be- removed, every living thing
upon the earth would be consumed i'm
half dozen years - Scte1Ics.