Abstract
THE study of the migration of swarms of the desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria Forsk.) has involved the detailed analysis of the flight behaviour of the individual locusts constituting a swarm. Following Gunn et al.1, it has been shown that by placing a camera on the ground with the lens pointing upwards, it is possible to obtain photographs of locusts flying in a swarm which are ‘readable’ up to the limits set by the lens, the shutter-speed in relation to the ground-speed of the locust, and the emulsion used. These photographs have been useful for determining the orientation of individuals and also, from the size of the images and of a sample of the locusts under observation, the area-density and volume-density of the flying locusts in the layer of the swarm resolvable by the camera.
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Gunn, D. L., Lea, H. A. F., et al., “Locust Control by Aircraft in Tanganyika”, Anti-Locust Research Centre, London, 1948. Gunn, D. L., Perry, F. C., et al., Anti-Locust Bull., No. 3 (1948).
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SAYER, H. A Photographic Method for the Study of Insect Migration. Nature 177, 226 (1956). https://doi.org/10.1038/177226a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/177226a0
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