Page:McCosh, John - Advice to Officers in India (1856).djvu/198

 Camphor wood trunks are the best places to keep them in.

Sand flies are very common in the Punjaub, and very annoying.

Of all the domestic plagues, the white ant is the most destructive,and as they do all their mischief in the dark or under cover either by mining below ground or by tunnelling their paths with clay when above ground, much watching is necessary to prevent their attacks. The beams of the houses require to be frequently sounded, for they are generally eaten to a shell without any symptom being perceptible outside. I once had an entire trunk eaten up; a deal one; nothing was seen externally; but on opening it I found that the leather alone kept in shape and it broke down in my hands. The very forests are kept in check by this minute insect, and probably every third tree is destroyed and eaten up by them. "When white ants abound, every article should have a plate of metal,—copper is best,—between them and the ground.

Immense flocks of locusts appear at certain times darkening the very sun like a heavy fall of snow in a very wonderful manner. Great consternation is caused among the natives by such a visitation, and with just cause, for if they settle even for a night, every blade of grass, and every leaf is devoured by them. On their appearance,the whole