.tive laws, founded on infinite wifdom, and not proceeding
from fecondary refleftion; therefore its behaviour
preferves a conftant famenefs, and uniformity, originally
perfect, and not Handing in need of alteration, or improvement.
The firft locufts were fas {killed'as the pre^
fent race, and their progeny wall tread in. their fteps.
Thofe who call it inftinct, I fufpect, do not underftand
what they mean, nor explain to us the true fenfe:of that
word.
Having fpent many hours and days, in obferving the
labours o f the locuil, I ihall now proceed to defcribe
them. The female begins,-by ftretching out her fix legs,
fixing her claws in the ground, and holding with her teeth
to the grafs ; then expands her wings, to prefs her cheft
clofe to the ground ; where, clinging firmly,, and raif-
ing that part of the belly, where ihe has the inftrument
mentioned before, after forming a right angle with
her body, ihe fixes it, ¡\vith fuch ftrength, that it fallens
to the hardeft earth, and even in Hone ; ihe. has all the
neceifary aparatus to make a perforation;, but this alone
would not anfwer the purpofe, a place being itill wanted
wherein ihe may depofit her eggs....
This hollow cavity is made in about two hours ; ihe
then begins to fhift the earth underneath, and emits the
glutinous fubftance. Having thus kneaded the ^arth.in?
to
to a fubftantial pafte, and fmoothed the floor with her
trunk, ihe lays the firft egg, then renews the operation
and lays more, with admirable order, and after various
repetitions, completes the whole in about four or five
hours; next covering the fuperior aperture I with a glutinous
compofition, the ftrudture is perfeit, with every
advantage againft the inclemency of the weather, or any
hoftile invafion. .
The female is now overcome with fatiOg ue,7 few havingO
ftrength, like the male, to feek after refrefhing waters ;
but, exhaufted and fpent, they expire clofe to their progeny,
exhibiting a melancholy fight to the labourer; who,
from their appearance, foretells the mifchiefs to follow,
without being able to prevent them ; forming an idea o f
the hidden enemiefs, who are to devour his harveft, from
the multitude of carc.afes he finds difperfed in the fields.
I cannot omit one circumftance, obferved by many
others, as well as. myfelf; and that is, when the females
are bufy in laying their eggs, or. in turning the earth, a.
male would immediately fix. on her back, another male
upon him, and another befides. Sometimes I have feert
fix males piled upon one another, <pver one female ; the
peafants pretended it was to give her more weight and
ftrength to open the ground ; but this could not be the
reafon, it feeming rather a moment o f fury, as obferved amongft