IN AND AROUND MACCLESFIELD. 235 



particles they abundantly contained ; as was sufficiently evinced by 

 the copious discharge of rain which fell in the latter part of Tues- 

 day, the 27th of September. 



Few are aware of the extraordinary and striking effects produced 

 by these sudden atmospheric variations, affecting very intimately the 

 economy of animal and vegetable life, and possibly, to a considerable 

 degree, the inanimate world also, associated, as they are now proved to 

 be, with vibrations of electric or galvanic agency.* To what extent, 

 or by what precise process, the above causes, separately or conjointly, 

 operated in the production of the entomological phenomenon about 

 to be noticed, occurring on Sunday the 25th, and partially on the 

 Monday following, when the weather was cooler, and again on the 

 Tuesday till the rain fell, it is impossible to say ; but to this sud- 

 den change was unquestionably attributable the unprecedented 

 swarm of minute insects, which, literally speaking, almost filled the 

 air on the days above mentioned. Over what probable area it extend- 

 ed must be a matter of conjecture, but there is abundant evidence of 

 this dense body occupying a space of at least twelve miles in length 

 between Macclesfield and Knutsford, and about four in width, or 

 in round numbers about fifty square miles. I am speaking now of 

 this immediate neighbourhood, where the phenomenon came more 

 directly under my observation ; but from York, Doncaster, Chester, 

 Leeds, Buxton, and other places considerably distant, notices have 

 been received of a similar out-pouring of this insect world ; which, 

 however, seems to have appeared in partial masses, depending, in 

 all probability, on streams of air of higher or lower temperature. 

 But to return to my own immediate neighbourhood. If we assign 

 half a dozen of these insects to a square foot — and we are sure we 

 are speaking much within the mark, as the testimony of hundreds 

 will vouch for — on a moderate computation not less than seventeen 

 hundred millions (or about twenty times the number of the whole 

 human population of the globe) of these tiny beings, each gifted 

 with instinctive qualities, each furnished with a beautiful and per- 

 fect adaptation of physical structure for the purposes of its exist- 

 ence, were thus brought into visible life in the space of a few hours. 

 Such an accession of vitality, as a matter of mere curiosity, cannot but 

 be interesting, knowing so little as we do of the secret mode by which 

 " the lord and giver of life" calls into action the elemental princi- 



* The air denoted considerable electric action towards the beginning and 

 middle of the week. On Wednesday there was much thunder and light- 

 ning. 



