GRY

647

G UA

Grus, in ornithology . See Akdea.

GKUYERES, GRUYERS , or GRUYIRES, a town, andlate county and bailiwic, of the Helvetic republic , in the cantonof Fribuvg, famous for cheese, 15 miles S. of Fiiburg.

GllY, [yjv,"J any thing of little value; as, the paring of thenails. A measure containing one-tenth of a line. A line is one-twitli of a digit, and a digit one-tenth of a foot, and a philosophicalfoot one-third ol a pendulum, whose diadromes, or vibrations, inthe latitude of 45 degrees, are each equal to one second of time,or one-.ixtielii of a minute.

GRYLLUS, the Locust, Grasshopper, and Cricket, inentomology, a genus ot insects belonging to the order hemiptera.The generic character is, head inflected, armed with jaws, andfurnished with feelers. Antenna;, in mo: t species, either tiiiformor setaceous. 'Wings four, deflex, convoluted: lower wingsplaited. Ilind legs formed for leaping: claws double on all thefeet. There are 01 species, of which the following are most wor-thy of notice :

1. Among the mo,t numerous species is the Gryi.i.us Migra-touius of Limueus, or Common Migratory Locust, which ofall the insects capable of injuring mankind seems to possess themost dreadful powers of destruction. Legions of these animalsare from time to time observed in various parts of the world, wherethe havoc they commit is almost incredible: whole provincesare in a manner desolated by them in the space of a few days, andthe air is darkened by their numbers: nay, even when dead, theyare still terrible ; since the putrefaction arising from their incon-ceivable numbers is such that it has been regarded as one of theprobable causes of pestilence in the F.aslern regions. 'I bis for-midable locust is generally of a brownish colour, varied with pale,red, or flesh-colour, and ihe legs are frequently bluish. In theyear 174s, it appeared in irregular Rights in several parts of Eu-rope, as in Germany, France , and England ; and in the capital it-self and its neighbourhood great numbers were seen : they perish-ed, however, in a short time, and were happilv not productive ofany material mischief, having been probably driven by some irre-gular wind out of their intended course, and weakened by thecoolness of our climate. From a paper published in the IStli vo-lume of the Philosophical Transactions wc lind, that in the year1UP3, swarms of this species of locust settled in some parts ofWales . Two vast flights were observed in the air not far from thetown of Dolgalken, in Merionethshire : the others fell in Pem-brokeshire. From a letter published in the 38th volume of thesame work, it appears, that some parts of Germany , particularlyin the march of Biaiidenburgli, Ac. suffered considerable injuryfrom the depredations of these animals. They made their ap-pearance in the spring of the year 1733, from flights which had de-posited their eggs in the ground the preceding year. They at-tacked and devoured the young spike of the wheat, Ac. and thischielly by night, and thus laid waste many acres at a time beyonda!i hope of recovery. In the 4lith volume of the same Transac-tions we find a description of the ravages of these animals in Wal-l,cliia, Moldavia, Transylvania, 11 ungary, and Poland , in the years1747 and 1748-. They multiply more speedily than any animal inthe creation, but are chiefly to be dreaded in the countries wherethey breed; being unable to live in cold climates. If, however,at any future period, they should again invade this island, it will beadvisable to bum, previously to (heir approach, such combustiblesas emit a thick anti offensive smoke ; for instance, turf, wet straw,Ac. sprinkled with sulphur. An instance occurred many yearssince, in Germany , where a swarm of locusts was driven from onedistrict to another, by the noise of bells, spades, hummers, andether metallic in-liumcnts. The ravages of locusts in variousparts of the world, at different periods, are recorded by numerousauthor-'. In Ihe year 5S3 of the Christian im, after a great drought,these animals appeared in such vast legions as to cause a famine inr.ianv countries. In 677 Syria and Mesopotamia were over-runby them. In 853, immense swarms look their flight from theEastern regions into the West, flying with such a sound that theymight nave been mistaken for birds: they destroyed all vegeta-bles, not sparing even the bark of trees and the thatch ot houses;and devoured the corn so rapidly, as to destroy, on computation,a hundred and forty acres in a day : their daily marches or dis-tances of flight were computed at twenty miles; amt these wereregulated by leaders or kings, who flew first, and settled oil the

spot which was to be visited at the same hour the next day by thewhole legion: these marches were always undertaken at sunrise.These locusts were at length driven bv the force of the winds intothe Belgic ocean, and being thrown back by the tide and left onthe shores, caused a dreadful pestilentc by their smell. In 1271,all the corn-tielus of Milan were destroyed; and in the year 1339all those of Lombardy. In 1541, incredible hosts afflicted Po-land , Wallacliia, and all the adjoining territories, darkening the-sun with their numbers, and ravaging all the fruits of the earth.

2. G. Ciustatus is one of the largest species of locust vet-known, being five or six times the size of the gryllus migratorius,and, together with some others of the larger kind, is made use ofin some parts of the world as an article of food : they are eatenboth fresh and salted, in which last state they are public'y sold inthe markets of some parts of the Levant. The quantity of ediblesubstance which they afford is but small, especially in the maleinsects ; but the females, on account of the ovaries, afford a morenutritious sustenance. The gryllus cristatus is a highly beautifulanimal ; being of a bright red, with the body anuulated withblack ; and the legs varied with yMlow : the upper wings tosselat-ed with alternate variegations of dark and pale green ; the lowerwith transverse undulated streaks: the length of the animal fromhead to tail is about four inches, and the expanse of w ings fromtip to tip, when fully extended, hardly less than seven inches anda half.

3. G. Gryllotalpa, or Mole-Cricket, is by far the mostcurious of this genus ; and in its colour and manners differs greatlyfrom the rest. It is of an uncouth, and even formidable aspect,measuring more than two inches in length ; and is of a broad andslightly flattened shape, of a dusky brown colour, with a ferrugi-nous cast ou the under parts, and is readily distinguished by theextraordinary structure of its fore-legs, which are excessivelystrong, and furnished with very broad feet, divided into severalsharp, claw-shaped, segments, with which it is enabled to burrowunder ground in the manner of a mole. The mole-cricket livesentirely on vegetables, devouring the young roots of grasses, corn,and various esculent plants, and commits great devastation in gar-dens. It is found in most parts of Europe , and in the northern,parts of Asia and America . See Plate LX.XV1.

4. r I lie Tettigonia, or Grasshopper, well known in ourmeadows, belongs to this genus.

5. The Acheta, or Cricket, of which there are two varieties,the hearth and tiie field cricket.

6. The Griseus is found in Italy . See Plate I.XXVI.

7. The Stri hull’s inhabits most parts of Europe . See Plate

Lxxvr.

. GRYPIIITES, or CROW’S STONE, in natural history, anoblong fossile-sliell, very narrow at the head, and becoming gra-dually wider to the extremity, where it ends in a circular limb ;the head or beak of this is very booked, or bent inward. Theyare frequently found in our gravel or clay-pits in many counties.

GUADALAJARA, or GUADALAXARA, a town of Spain ,in the province of New Castile, 22 miles N. E. of Madrid .

Guadalajara, a province, town, and river, of Mexico .

GUADALAVfAR, a river of Spain , which rises on the con-fines of Arragon ami New Castile, and falls into the Mediterraneansea. a little below Valencia .

GU ADA LOU PE, a town of Spain, in Estremadura , 45 milesS. V/. of Toledo .

Ouadaloupe, a river of Spain , in E-treinadura.

Guadaloupe , one of the Caribbee or Leeward Islands, lyingabout midway between Antigua and Martinico. It is 45 mileslong, 38 broatl, and, being of an irregular figure, is about 240 milesin circumference. It is now in possession of the British .

GUADALQU1VER, one of the most famous rivers of Spain ,rises in Andalusia, near the confines cf Granada , and running quitethrough Andalusia , by the towns of Baiza, AiuLxar, Cordova, andSeville , falls at lust into the Bay of Cadiz.

GUADAUAM A, a town of Spain , on the above river, 18 milesN. \V. of Madrid ; famous for cheese.

GL T ADIANA, a large river of Spain , which rises in New Ca c -lile, passes by Calatrava, Medelin , Merida, and Badajox, and fallsinto tlu* bay of Cadiz.

GUADIX, a town of Spain, in Granada , with a bishop’ssee.

GUAIACUM,