| → in the air 1869 |
| and round 1872 |
|
| → OMIT 1861 1866 1869 1872 |
| I can show that 1859 1860 |
|
| → and in another case twenty-two grains of 1861 1866 1869 1872 |
| of 1859 1860 |
|
|
and several of these seeds retained
power of germination. Certain seeds, however, were always killed by this process. |
|
| Locusts are sometimes blown to great distances from the land; I myself caught one 370 miles from the coast of Africa, and have heard of others caught at greater distances. The Rev. R. T. Lowe
Sir C. Lyell that in November 1844 swarms of locusts visited the island of Madeira. They were in countless numbers, as thick as the flakes of snow in the heaviest snowstorm, and extended upwards as far as could be seen with a telescope. During two or three days they slowly careered round
→in the air
in an immense ellipse, at least five or six miles in diameter, and at night alighted on the taller
which were completely coated with them. They then disappeared over the sea, as suddenly as they had appeared, and have not since visited the island. Now, in parts of Natal it is believed by some
farmers, though on
insufficient evidence, that injurious seeds are introduced into their grass-land in the dung left by the great flights of locusts which often visit that country. In consequence of this belief Mr. Weale sent me in a letter a small packet of the dried pellets, out of which I extracted under the microscope several seeds, and raised from them seven grass plants, belonging to two species,
two genera. Hence a swarm of locusts, such as that which visited Madeira, might readily be the means of introducing several kinds of plants into an island lying far from the mainland. |
|
| Although the beaks and feet of birds are generally
clean,
→OMIT
earth sometimes adheres to them: in one
I removed
→and in another case twenty-two grains of
dry argillaceous earth from
foot of a partridge, and in
earth there was a pebble
as large
|
