New-York tribune., 1891-05-21
LOCESTS IN dLGIERS.

One of the most astonishing news paragraphs
which have found their way into veracous
press for q long time is the recent one from far
away Algiers concerning the death OF NJ. Kunckel
Herculas NJ Herculas is dead, but the able
Algerian correspondent is evidently very much
alive. for the eminent scientist, Notwithstanding
his robust name, was, according to the valued
CORES pondent killed by flock of locusts which
he had gone 30 examine.
In the dispatch in question NJ. Herculais is
described as a savant, h term which has OCCASION
ally been applied TO educated Frenchmen in the
past. He was employed by the Government to
investigate the locust plague which recently broke
out in Algiers. Near the village of SlderaI he
found large nest of locustS' eggs and proceeded
to make an examination of them While doing
he became fatigued and lay down on the ground to
sleep. The old locuss that owned the nest re-
turned, apparently, while he was asleep, and sum-
moned half of the other locusts in the province,
NJ Herculais was soon awakened by vigorous
attack upon him by these insects lie instantly
sprang up and fought desperately, if we may
believe the correspondent, but finally
come and killed The other savants in Algers
have armed themselves with pistols, knives and
so FORTH and the next flock of locusts that attacks
a member of the French Academy will have hard
tussle
For man to be killed by locusts is, we believe,
something unprecedented. We have had some eX-
perience with locusts in this country, notably in
Kansas and Nebraska fifteen twenty years
ago, but we do not remember that any deaths
were reported though if that industrious Nebras-
kan who recently caught over 100, 900 ish on q
barbed-wire fence had been living there then we
might have heard of something of the kind. But
what we wish TO call particular attention to is the
danger which it now appears that agricultural
inscct-fghtcrs undergo. This paper has long been
a friend Of the entomolOgist 1t has never failed
TO uphold both DR.. Lintner, of this State and
Prof Smith, of New-Jersey, in all Of their battles
with the bugs of the field. But they have been
running dangers of which even we did not dream.
The icerya, the rose-bug, the grain aphs, the
elm beetle, the IIessan fly and the gypsy moth
are all more dangerous insects than the locust and
yet our entomologists have gone out and fought
them all day, lain down and slept among them
all night, and risen up before sunrise the next
morning and again smitten them hip and thigh.
Our insects certainly have all the reasons for an
attack which the Algerian locusts had. The dis
patch saws that NJ Herculais was the author of
several valuable works on insects" No doubt the
locusts were seeking revenge for the pictures sec
tonal views side elevations Of them and forth,
which he had printed in his book. 1t would make
man angry to have cut of him, magniied six
hundred dameters, printed in a scientific work.
But our entomologsts have done all of this
Especially has Prof. Smith provoked them in this
regard, having published a number of pamphlets,
copies Of which he has kindly sent to The Tribune
with pictures OF all manner of bugs 30 magnihed
as to bring out their weak points. His picture
Of the Aphidius granariaphs, for instance, shows
the ong-suffering insect with three walkirg-beam
legs, one wing the shape of the Gulf of Mexico,
one large, white eye, battered and dsreputable
body and chn-whiskers like goat Some day
the aphidius will take revenge on the Professor
for this caricature of him.
But after all is it probable that the locusts killed