Such is their voracity that cannibalism amongst them has been
asserted as an outcome of the failure of other kinds of food.
Locusts have their natural enemies. Many birds greedily devour them, in
fact a migratory swarm is usually followed by myriads of birds,
especially sea gulls; they are often found 150 to 200 miles inland.
Often a flock of gulls will clean up a "manga" of locusts; they devour
them by thousands, and will then go to a neighbouring laguna, take a
little water, and throw up all they have eaten, and at a given signal go
off again to fill up with more locusts, only to repeat the operation
time after time. Predatory insects of other orders also attack them,
especially when in the unwinged state. They have still more deadly foes
in parasites, some of which attack the fully developed locust, but the
greater number adopt the more insidious method of attacking the eggs.
Many inventions have been brought out with the object of exterminating
the locusts, some of which, at least, have doubtless been partly
successful, but determined and combined effort by the nation and land
proprietors is imperative if the remedial and preventive measures
proposed are to reap the success hoped for.
The Agricultural Defence Department reports having spent $10,561,540 mn.
Pages:
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160