Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1888-04-12
THE FLIGHT OF THE LOCUsTs.

/ llIIOIIty represented Ill Ine HOUSE.
THE FLIGHT OF THE LOCUSTS.
THEY EAT UP EVERY GREEN THING AND
LEAVE THE EARTH A DESERT.
The English Mechanic.
An army of locusts is wonderful and
an interesting sight to the traveller who
does not own a yard of soil and is a
mere on-looker at their frightful devas-
tation. 1t is Attila and his innumera-
bic horses rushing over the vegetable
world. To-day the wide plains are
shining green with dense foliage; to-
morrow nothing but brown twigs and
branches, when the legiOnss move off on
their combined mission. As they arrive,
the dense, dark clouds moving up from
the horizon, and often Obscuring the
suns rays, proclaim the approach of the
widely dreaded scourge. The alarmed
villagers cOngregate on the expected
line of march, beating drums and brass
pots, shouting and lighting bOnfres and
making all kinds of hideous noises. On
one occasion, in South Africa, / drove
off the enemy from friends garden
by making four heaps of damp rubbish
one at each cOrner-in preparation,
and then, lighting them at the proper
moment, we dispersed the advance
guard, our columns of thick smoke be-
ing carried by the wind upon the main
body, which altered its route. Horses
and oxen, their heads and nOstrils tor
mented by the clinging limbs of the
swarms, were bolting away to the woods,
kicking and plunging in their hasty
flight. a Kissing, cracking sound arose
on all sides; the whole air seemed to be
occupied by the falling and flying imps
of mischief. The ''locust birds" Ia kind
of erane) hOvered in small parties on
their f1anks, and subsisted on very
small percentage of these insect hosts.
In desert localities the hungry pests ac-
tually pitched on bones, mating. sticks,
etc, and failing in meal attacked and
devOured each other. On another Oeca-
sion l drove for miles along a sandy
tract. the wheels of the vehicle crushing
myriads of the newly-hatched insects,
all crawling and creeping, with migra-
jOIN IONdlu IliC ClllilNdlCu
tracts. In India locust visits are fewer
between, but far more formidable, Ow-
ing to the overwhelming masses. Some
times series of clouds, composed of
their flights, cover several miles stimuli
tanecusly. Fortunately there are sever
al birds and beasts in quest of their
bodies, and have even seen them salt
ed, dried and sold in the markets. l
have often inspected dish of curried
locust, but could not bring a sufficient
amount of curiosity to bear on the taSt-
ing experiment, though a brawny Odor
went up with the steam. The fishes are
great devourers of these winged visitors,
for they fall into lakes and rivers during
changes of wind and weather. Besides
fires made Of green rubbish at top,
found gunpOwder explosions very useful
in soaring them away from the vicinity
of my garden. When several successive
hordes alighted on my grass land load
ed my gun with dust and shot, and,
low on the ground, discharged
the contents of both barrels into their
midst Having done so several times,
I enjoyed the welcome sight of seeing
them rising into the air and going else
where. l have TO doubt small cannon
on such occasions, heavily loaded with
sharp sand, would hasten their flight.