The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-06-23


sounds like the realization of a col
lector's dream, says the Spectator. A
ship was crossing the Atlantic from the
I'm ted States, and was followed by q
number of butterflies of a large species
/ called the "black-veined brown" The
butterflies kept up with the ship, prob
ably alighting on it at night, and when
the steamer drew near the Sicily islands
were still following it. Shortly afterward
thirteen of these American butterflies
were said to have been caught in Corn
wall, it was alleged by friends of an
entomologist on board, who contrived to
let them know by the earliest possible
means that such distinguished strangers
! might be expected.
Whether the story Is based on fact the
writer knows not But tnere is good
reason to think that butterflies do &C.
casionaily cross the sea, whether by
choice or compulsion, and that they are
not the only insects that do so. Others
also travel great distances by land, or
m crate to pastures new on ships, in
trains and among the feathers of birds.
The unusual number of the Cambe-Wen
Beauty butterfly seen two years ago on
the south coast were believed to have
been blown across, or to have flown
across with a fair wind, from France,
whence also passengers on the Calais
Dover boats saw not long ago swarms of
common white butterflies crossing the
channel. This is not in the least sur
prising. The large vanessas, such as tho
red admiral or Camberwell beauty, fly
swiftly and strongly. One came out to
Scotch boat going up channcl and &C
companied it all the way to the Clyde.
When Darwin was off the mouth Of the
Plata, and also off the Patagonia shore,
the ship was often surrounded by in
sects. Zone evening"" he writes, when
we were ten miles from the Bay of st.
Bias. vast numbers of butterflies, in
bands or f1ocks of countless myriads eX-
tended as far as the eye could range.
More species than one were present, but
the main number were very similar to
the common English Colias euusa. Even
by the aid Of telescope it was not pos
sible to see a space free from butter
flies. Some seamen cried out, Tt was
showing butterflies"
There seems to be an occas onal migra-
tiCn of insects into this country across
the North sea. Very few people VINO
have lived on the coast of Norfolk or
Suffolk doubt it. From time to time in
sects are found washed up by the waves,
or floating near the shore, in numbers
like dust for multitude" 1t is possible
that they were blown offshore first, and
then washed up again, by a change of
wind But it does not seem probable
that they would be in such compact
masses if dispersed and struggling
against an adverse gale at some distance
from land. On the other hand, it IS
well known that birds sometimes fall
into the sea from exhaustion when cross
ing toward land, and the case of these
Iadyblrds seems much the same Some
times the drowned invaders consist of
black focks of the tiny turnip beetles.
which lie on the waves like SCOT Fisher
men who spend much of their time off
the mouth of the Wash and the North
Norfolk coast have told the writer that
butterflies constantly visit their boats.
lying in from the sea; and from time
to time blue butterflies are seen lying at
snort intervals, from yard to yard, along
miles Of the sea fringe of sand on the
Lincoln coast.
PLAQUES OF LOCUsTs.
The painted lady butterfly appears to
assemble for migration as swallows do
Great columns of them many yards wide
have been seen flying in a given dfroc-
ton. A locust alighted on the deck of
the Beagle at distance Of three hundred
ana seventy miles from land. If an in
sect only four inches long can make such
flight, no limits can be set to the pos
sible nigrations of locusts. They cross
seas and even mountains. Some years
ago they appeared near Darjeeling. Blu:
1t is believed that they crossed the Hin,
alayas from Thibet. The invasions of
locusts are best remembered when for
some reason unknown they decide to
leave the regions over which their aiSht
is generally taken, and to make a vast
aerial trek into others. Such invasions
naturally attract great attention. The
records remain, emphasized by the actual
losses nd iV1f,~
more serious misfortunes. In the middle
ages locust invasion of the North or
West was regarded as one of the regular
precursors of great pestilences. They
are noted as among the forerunners of
these great calamities. In 1925 there ap
peared in the Mark of Brandenburg, dur
ing the prevalence of a southeast wind
and great drouth, SWarmS of locuStS
as if this prognostic, too, of great cpl
denies was not to be wanting" saws
Hecker. This 'prognostic'' had been OBJ
served before the Black Death in the
fourteenth century, the beginning of the
'morbific conditions" in the far East
having been innumerable locust SGarms,
which destroyed the crops in Human, and
caused the famine which pestilenCe loI-
lowed. Locusts appeared in Francouin III
Incredible swarms in 1887, and the cele,
brated Shrinking mists'' which spread
over Italy in 1S4S were made worse by
the odor of putrefying locusts, (which
had spread from the East to the Vest"
The locusts were regarded as having
been summoned by celestial wrath TO
complete the destruction Of mankind
which earthquake, famine and pestiIence
had begun. In 1912 swarns of locusts mi
grated from the interior Of Asia and
travelled across Europe as far north as
the Elbe and as far south as Spain. Tne
Turks were then invading Hungary, and
by natural coincidence brought the
plague with them.
Induced migration of insects offers
some curious points in political natural
history. At the beginning of the last
century the possibility of introducing the
cochineal insect was much discussed in
India. Red dye was expensive and
scarce; but red was a color highly priced
and for which there was a great de-
mand. Clearly If the cochineal could he
introduced there would be a sale to a
vast local population. The cultivation OF
the cactus on which it fed, and of the
insects themselves which are planted out
in little communities on each young cac-
tus plant, seemed exactly suited for the
laborious Hindoos. To add to the wealth
of the many nations and languages Of
the peninsula by the induced migration
of one hardy plant and a little rec blight
seemed almost a natural miracle, yet a
possible one. Yet for some reason.
though the economic arguments were al
sound, the cochineal insect refused to
migrate with a cheerful mind. 1t -four.
ished when taken from it's native Mexico
to the Canary Islands, the Western fos-
ter mother Of other tropical products,
and to some degree in Java and Aigiers
But the parts Of India to which it was
taken did not suit it.
On the other hand, an equally insfg-
nifcant insect has crossed the Atlantic,