130 NORTH AMERICAN INSECTS. 



me to have lost that universal benevolence and love r 

 which the study of Natural History usually inspires, 

 when I recommend the massacre of many millions of 

 little insects, whose only crime is, that they eat the 

 food that Nature has instinctively prescribed for them. 

 It is true, all that is positively injurious, ought not ne- 

 cessarily to be destroyed, still it is right that of two 

 evils we should choose the least. A distinguished 

 modern reformer, of Germany, has recently published 

 a pamphlet, entitled " Murder and Liberty/' in which 

 he maintains the legality and moral right of assassinat- 

 ing all sovereigns and despots wherever they are to 

 be found in the world. He premises his argument 

 upon the fact, that it has been, and is considered legal 

 and right for all crowned heads to arraign and execute 

 every patriot and political reformer, whenever and 

 wherever he may be found : ergo, he argues, the same 

 legality and right belongs to the patriot and political 

 reformer, to kill all crowned and uncrowned despots, 

 whenever and wherever they may be caught. 



Now, if such a doctrine finds adherents, I am sure I 

 need not fear to recommend the massacre of all inju- 

 rious insects, and upon the same principles of logic ; 

 they kill trees and shrubs, ergo, we should kill them. 



The few Insects here mentioned, constitute but a 

 small part of the numerous order Hemiptera, which to- 

 gether with the preceding, are generally known under 



