DIRECT INJURIES CAUSED BY INSECTS. 91 



equally an enemy to man and beast. They are there so infinitely numerous, 

 that if you sit down upon the ground, or upon the trunk of a tree, or walk 

 with naked feet or legs, they will cover you, and, plunging their serrated 

 rostrum into the bare places of the body, begin to suck your blood, going 

 deeper and deeper till they are half buried in the flesh. Though at first 

 they occasion no uneasiness, when they have thus made good their settle- 

 ment, they produce an intolerable itching, followed by acute pain and large 

 tumors. It is now extremely difficult to extract them, the animal rather 

 suffering itself to be pulled to pieces than let go its hold ; so that the ros- 

 trum and head being often left in the wound, produce an inflammation and 

 suppuration which render it deep and dangerous. These ticks are at first 

 very small, sometimes scarcely visible, but by suction will swell themselves 

 out till they are as big as the end of one's finger, when they often fall to 

 the ground of themselves.^ The serrated haustellum of the ticks, which, 

 like the barbed sting of a bee, cannot be extracted unless the animal co- 

 operates, is well worth your inspection ; and the species which infests our 

 dogs is so common that you will have no difficulty in procuring one for ex- 

 amination.^ 



I have now introduced you to the principal insects of the Aptera order 

 of Linne, which, in spite of all his care and all his power, assail the lord 

 of the creation, and make him their food. You will here, however, per- 

 haps accuse me of omitting one very prominent annoyer of our comfort 

 and repose, which you think belongs to this tribe — the bed-bug (^Cimex 

 lectularius) . When you are a more practiced entomologist, you will see 

 clearly that this, though it has no wings, appertains to another order: 

 nevertheless it may be introduced here without impropriety. Though 

 now too common and well known in this country, it was formerly a rare 

 insect. Had it not, two noble ladies, mentioned by MoufFet, would 

 scarcely have been thrown into such an alarm by the appearance of bug- 

 bites upon them ; which, until their fears were dispelled by their physi- 

 cian, who happened also to be a naturalist, they considered as nothing less 

 than symptoms of the plague. Being shown the living cause of their 

 fright, their fears gave place to mirth and laughter.^ Commerce, with 

 many good things, has also introduced amongst us many great evils, of 

 which noxious insects form no small part ; and one of her worst presents 

 were doubtless the disgusting animals now before us. They seem, indeed, 

 as the above fact proves, to have been productive of greater alarm at first 

 than mischief, at least if we may judge from the change of name which 

 took place upon their becoming common. Their original English name 

 was Chinche or Wall-louse^ ; and the term Bug, which is a Celtic word, 

 signifying a ghost or goblin, was applied to them after Ray's time, most 

 probably because they were considered as " terrors by night. "^ But how- 



» De Geer, vii. 154. 160. 



* The renowned venomous bug of Persia (Malleh de Mianeh) has been ascertained to be 

 a species of Argas by Count Fischer de Walheino. 



3 Theatr. Ins. 270. This happened in 1503 ; which circumstance refutes Southall's 

 opinion that bugs were not known in England before 1670. 



•• Rai, Hist. Ins. 7. Mouffet, 269. They were called also punez, from the Txeiych punaise. 



^ Hence our English word Bug-Bear. In Matthew's Bible, Ps. xci. 5. is rendered, ''Thou 

 shall not need to be afraid of any bvgs by night." The word in this sense often occurs in 

 Shakspeare, Winter's Tale, act iii. sc. 2, 3. Hen. VI. act v. sc. 2. Hamlet, act v. sc. 2. 

 See Douce's Illustrations of Shalispeare, i. 329. in quoting which work it may be observed 

 that the author was a zealous entomologist. {Life in Annual Obituary), 



