them. They are not, however, without a choice in their food.
When they attack a field of corn juft ftruck into the ear, they
firft mount to thé fummit, and pick out every grain before
they touch the leaves and the ftem. In fuch a ftate it is
lamentable to fee the ruins o f a fine field of corn. The infe£t
feems conftantly to be in motion and to have fome objeû in
view. When on a march during the day it is utterly impolfible
to turn the direâion of a troop, which is generally with the
wind. The traces o f their route over the country are very
obvious for many weeks after they have paffed it, the furface
appearing as if fwept by a broom, or as if a harrow had been
drawn over it. Towards the fetting of the fun the march is
difcontinued, when the troop divides into companies, which
furround the fmall Ihrubs, or tufts o f grafs, or ant-hills, and in
fuch thick patches that they appear like fo many fwarms of
bees ; and in this manner they reft till day-light. It is at fuch
times as they are thu;: formed that the farmers have any chance
o f deftroying them, which they ' fometimes effeift by driving
among them a flock of two or three thoufand iheep. By the
reftleflhefs of thefe they are trampled to death.
Luckily the vifits of this gregarious infedt are but periodical,
otherwife the whole country muft inevitably be deferred, for
they reft, as the prophet in Holy Writ hath faid, “ upon all
“ thorns and upon all bulhes.” Even at this time the cattle
in many parts of Sneuwberg are ftarving for want o f food.
The prefent year is the third o f their continuance, and their
increafe has far exceeded that of a geometrical progreflion
whofe ratio is a million. For ten years preceding their prefent
vifit,
vifit, they were Entirely free from them. Their laft exit from
the colony was rather fingular. All the full-grown infefts
were driven into the fea by a tempeftuous north-weft wind,
and were afterwards caft upon the beach, where it is faid they
formed a bank of three or four feet high, that extended from
the mouth of the Bosjefman’s riyer to that of the Beeka, a
diftance of near fifty Engliih miles ; and it is afferted, that
when this mafs became putrid, and the wind was at fouth-eaft,
the ftench was fenfibly felt in feveral parts of Sneuwberg.
Fortunately they were driven thus to fea before they had
depofited their eggs in the ground. The larvae at the fame
time were emigrating to the northward. The column paffed
the houfes of two of our party, who afferted that it continued
without a n y interruption for more than a month. The grylli-
vori in myriads were clofe at their heels, and departed along
with them, fince which, till the prefent year, not one of them
was to be found in the country.
Hunting excurfions had daily been made on the plains, at a
diftance from the river, where game of all forts were in the
greateft abundance; but the chief objea was the gnoo or wild,
ibeqft, as it is called by the Dutch. Parties of five or fix had
been out for two days, in order to procure one of thefe animals,
but without fuccefs. On the third day we muftered a company
of ten perfons, and after a very long chace contrived at
length to hem in a troop confifting of about fifty, out of
which, at one volley, we ihot fix. This extraordinary animal
is the fwifteft beaft that ranges the plains of Africa. A
u s traveller