PIIASMA ROSSIA, » 



" Originally it was writ 

 In Latin by Philip Melanchthon, 

 And now for common folk's benefit, 

 Into German speech 'tis also done. " 



And at the head of "the History" just given, he again says : 



" The Scoilards years ago did indite 

 A poem beauteous and erudite." 



But, of course, Melanchthon is by no means the author of this le- 

 gend. He relates it to the count Joannes a Weda, in a letter of March 

 23d, 1539; in which he says: "facere non potui, quin adjicerem nar- 

 ratiunculam, quae in quodam poemate extat, non illam quidem histori- 

 cam, sed venustam et erudite confiictam, admonendae adolescentiae cau- 

 sa, ut cogitet et discrimina ordinum divinitus instituta esse, et unicuique 

 laborandum esse, ut virtule suam personam tueatur." 



Malanchthon's "harratiuncula " supplies some exquisite additional 

 details, which I cannot add in the present article. From the cxpre.-^sion : 

 "Erudite confictam," we may infer, that the poem of which Melanch- 

 thon speaks, was written in Latin. And at all events, his letter proves 

 that Hans Sachs only worked up, in his charmingly simple style, mate- 

 rials which he found in a popular myth already extant. 



Notice of the appearance of a great numher of hisects of the ge- 

 nus Phasma in the neighborhood of Reading, Pa., by J. P. 

 Hiester, M. D. 



Having had occasion to visit Oley in the latter part of September, I 

 observed, at a great distance, the forest on the Monocasy hills, which 

 form the Eastern boundary of the valley, to be stripped of its leaves, 

 and to have a peculiar brown appearance. On inquiry I was told that 

 within a month, or six weeks, myriads of strange insects had suddenly 

 made their appearance, and were voraciously devouring all the leaves 

 of the forest trees. J had learned a few days previously, that some 

 insect was committing great ravages on the forest trees at the distance 

 of twenty-four miles in an opposite direction. Individuals from both 

 localities being procured, were found to be the same insect. It is be- 

 yond doubt a Phasma and I think the Phasma Rossia. The body is 

 about three inches long, varying from a light yellowish green to a dark 

 cinerinus brown, and is often of a beautiful cane color with darker 

 spats, particularly on the thighs. The female is about as thick as a 

 small goose-quill, and the male rather less than half that thickness. — 



