Dec. 1, 1867.] 



HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



2G& 



the supposed use of this new theory of different 

 centres of creation? It is opposed to the biblical 

 account of the creation " 11. G." acknowledges, and 

 seems unnecessary to account for the universal 

 diffusion of man. When we find the same races 

 often speaking nearly the same tongues, inhabiting 

 places so far removed from each other as Easter 

 Island (near South America) and Madagascar (off 

 Eastern Africa), the northern extremities of Europe 

 and America, the Andaman Islands (in the Bay of 

 Bengal), and the islands of Australia and Tasmania, 

 the frozen regions of Rupert's Land, and antarctic 

 Tierra del Fuego, we must see that no such theory 

 as the one proposed is needed to account for the 

 diffusion of mankind over the earth's surface. The 

 wonderful similarity of customs and traditions, 

 whether preserved and practised at the Arctic circle 

 or in the torrid zone, the capabilities for locomotion 

 and change of habitat possessed by all races in 

 common, the identity of the physical conformation 

 of mankind in all essential points, prove that man is 

 homogeneous, and possesses, even in his lowest 

 degradation, an intellect which is capable of high 

 cultivation, and a power of deducing conclusions 

 from experiences which the wisest brute does not 

 share. These and other considerations amply prove 

 to my mind, if not to that of " R. G.," not only the 

 probability of, but the necessity for, a theory which 

 insists upon the acknowledgment of " The Unity of 

 Mankind." E. A. A. 



BUGS. 



{Aeanthia lectularia.) 



VERY little appears to be known regarding the 

 history and habits of our bed-bug ; and as I 

 was recently quartered in a room where there was 

 an unusually large allowance of these creatures, and 

 as the very thought of sleep was out of the ques- 

 tion, I thought I would notice some of the habits of 

 these appalling creatures, and send the notes on to 

 Science-Gossip, in the hope of some other corre- 

 spondents adding thereto. The wall of the sleeping - 

 (?) room was papered with a white paper ornamented 

 with spotty flowers. The first thing I noticed was 

 that when the lamp was placed near the wall, to 

 facilitate observation, the bugs, with one accord, 

 scampered to the dark spots, and, there resting, 

 became immediately invisible — in fact, they pre- 

 tended to be spots, and not bugs at all ; they 

 evidently loathed tJiemselves. Bugs, if hotly pursued 

 on a perpendicular surface, let go their legs and 

 drop to the floor. After taking a few steps, they 

 either dip into crevices, or pretend to be heads of 

 tin-tacks, or stains on the wood. They fall by a 

 movement of the legs, and a slight upheaving of 

 head and tail. The movement is instinctive ; for 

 when they are on a flat surface, I observed them 

 make the same motions, evidently trying to fall out 



of sight. The velocity with which bugs can run is 

 something incredible. When on a smooth surface, 

 they are able to go at a terrible rate; but if they 

 get in a blauket it is all over with them— the wool' 

 of the blanket gets entangled round their legs, and 

 they make a poor hobble of it indeed. In the 

 corners where the bugs most congregated I saw a 

 good many corpses (bugs' corpses) and transparent 

 skins. This leads me strongly to suspect, that bugs 

 are cannibals, and "do each other eat;" but as L 

 saw none enjoying ihe pleasures of the table, I can- 

 not say for certain. I noticed two or three invalids, 

 fat indeed, but suffering from a disease that imme- 

 diately reminded me of the autumnal fungus which 

 attacks and kills flies (Sporendonema muscse). 

 Whether this was the case or not, certain it is the 

 bugs were marked with similar white powdery 

 rings (I have recently read of a spider being simi- 

 larly attacked). As I had a box of oil-colours with 

 me, I thought I would give one or two a touch of 

 spirits of turpentine ; and I found they lived a long 

 time (half an hour or more) when completely satu- 

 rated in this elixir. I remembered hearing that salt 

 and water was very fatal to bugs ; I tried it, and 

 found it produced almost instantaneous death. 

 There are two sorts of bugs, vai-ying in shape — one 

 almost circular, the other very much longer. Can 

 you tell me, Mr. Editor, whether these two forms 

 represent the sexes? There is a certain odour 

 attached to bugs, disagreeable (probably from its 

 associations) to some people, but in reality aromatic, 

 and far from unpleasant — indeed I know people 

 who affirm the odour to be very agreeable. Many 

 persons cannot detect it at all, so delicate is it - y 

 whilst others can discover the presence of bugs in a. 

 room by the scent alone. A few days ago I found 

 the curious bug-scented Agaric (Lactarius quietus}' 

 in Epping Forest. The odour of the specimens 

 found was very strong, and represented the con- 

 centrated " otto of bugs." In neighbourhoods 

 where bugs abound, what becomes of the defunct 

 creatures ? I have been told, but I do not know it 

 for truth, that sometimes when the flooring boards, 

 of dirty old houses are taken up, the spaces between, 

 the joists are completely filled with dead bugs, 

 which the labourers have ere now removed in solid 

 masses with spades, and carted away. Notwith- 

 standing that every precaution is taken, bugs will 

 now and then put in an appearance in houses where 

 the utmost cleanliness is observed, and if not soon? 

 routed, they speedily establish a colony. A day of 

 two ago I saw one in a freshly-opened newspaper, 

 They are not uncommon, associated with lice, in and 

 upon 'busses and cabs; on the seats in the parks 

 the latter are common enough. In some ware- 

 houses in the city bugs are abundant ; some shops 

 are positively swarmed with them. They are very 

 liable to be imported into new and clean dwelling- 

 houses unless a strict watch be kept.— W, G.HdiitL. 



