The sky, seen through the
advanced guard, appeared like a mezzotinto engraving, but the main
body was impervious to sight; they were not, however, so thick
together, but that they could escape a stick waved backwards and
forwards. When they alighted, they were more numerous than the
leaves in the field, and the surface became reddish instead of
being green: the swarm having once alighted, the individuals flew
from side to side in all directions. Locusts are not an uncommon
pest in this country: already during this season several smaller
swarms had come up from the south, where, as apparently in all
other parts of the world, they are bred in the deserts. The poor
cottagers in vain attempted by lighting fires, by shouts, and by
waving branches, to avert the attack. This species of locust
closely resembles, and perhaps is identical with, the famous
Gryllus migratorius of the East.
We crossed the Luxan, which is a river of considerable size, though
its course towards the sea-coast is very imperfectly known: it is
even doubtful whether, in passing over the plains, it is not
evaporated and lost. We slept in the village of Luxan, which is a
small place surrounded by gardens, and forms the most southern
cultivated district in the Province of Mendoza; it is five leagues
south of the capital.
Pages:
625
626
627
628
629
630
631
632
633
634
635
636
637
638
639
640
641
642
643
644
645
646
647
648
649