
refill a legion of fuch enemies ; after devouring the
vegetable kingdom, were they, in proportion to their
ftrength and numbers, to become carniverous like
wafps, they would be able to deftroy whole flocks of
fheep, even the dogs, and ftiepherds ; juft as we are
told of ants in America, that will overcome the fierceft
ferpents.
The locuft fpends the months of April, May, and
June, in the place of its birth ; at the end of June its
wings have a fine rofe colour, and its body is ftrong.
Being then in their prime, they affemble for the 1 aft
time, and burn with a defire to propagate their fpecies ;
this is obferved by their motions, which are unequal m
the two foxes. The male is reftlefs and folicitous, the
female is coy, and eager after food, flying the approaches
o f the male, fo that the morning is fpent in
the courtfhip of the one, and the retreat of the other.
About ten o’clock, when the warmth of the fun has cleared
their wings from the dampnefs of the night, the females
foem uneafy at the forwardnefs of the males, who continuing
their purfuit, they rife together five hundred feet
high, forming a black cloud that darkens the rays of the
fun. The clear atmofphere of Spain becomes gloomy,
and the fineft fummer day of Eftremadura more diftnal
than the winter of Holland. The ruffling of fo many
millions of wings, in the air, feems like the trees of a fo
reft,
reft, agitated by the wind. The firft direction o f this
formidable column is always againft the wind, which
if not too ftrong, it will extend about a couple o f
leagues; they then make a halt, when the moil; dread-,
ful havock begins; thefr fenfe o f frnell being fo delicate,
they can find at that diilance, a corn-field, or a garden,,
and after demolifhing it, rife again, in purfuit o f another
: this may be faid. to be done in an inftant. Each1
feems to have, as it were, four arms and two fe e t ,- the
males climb up the plants , as failors do the ihrouds o f a
ihip ; they nip off the tendered buds,, which fall to the females
below. At laft, after repeated devaftations, they^
light upon fome barren ground, and the females prepare
for laying their eggs..
What a difmal fight for a poor farmer, after having
been vifited by fuch cruel guefts ! A fenfible man, a-
mongft them, on viewing his corn-fields, where nothing.
was now left but chaff, thus expreffed him-
f e lf ; “ I f thefe creatures were not fo coy, and would
H fuffer the embraces of their mates, in the country
“ where they were hatched, we ihould not be loaded with;
“ fuch dreadful misfortunes but, like us, they fear
“ death, and ftrive to prolong life ; for which reafon,
w they ihun the advances o f the males, knowing, that
“ afterward nothing is left,, but to depofit their eggs
“ and. expire !”
¡¡¡H By/