Indeed, many caught out in camp by the storm lost their lives
through falling into wells, and, in some cases, the river. But,
fortunately, nowadays--principally, I fancy, owing to the larger area of
country under cultivation--these dust storms do not recur.
LOCUSTS.
During the past century considerable study has been centred upon the
life and habits of the locust, mainly from the desire to seek its
subjugation and destruction, and, whilst much general biological
information has been written upon the subject, there are things which we
do not yet know about this insect or its habits. We do not know what
precise influences cause their migration, nor do we know what is the
exact length of life of the locust or its breeding power, or the precise
locality in any country which may be defined as its permanent abode.
Locusts are classified under the order of orthopterous insects of the
family Acrydiidae, and are very closely related to grasshoppers.
There are a large number of species, the differentiating features being
more or less the form and sculpture of protorax, the size of the head,
the length and size of the prosternal spine, the comparative length and
size of the hind thighs and shanks, the amount and arrangement of the
tegmina mottlings, the comparative length of wings, and the general
build of the entire insect, which may be robust or fairly slender.
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