RHYNCOTA. 33 



naturally fond of turpentine woods." Westwood says 

 it is certain that they swarm in the American timber 

 employed in the construction of new houses, and states 

 a belief that they feed on the sap of that wood. It 

 is, however, certain that these insects were known in 

 England before 1666, for Mouffet, in his "Theater of 

 Insects" (Book ii., p. 1096-8), printed at London in 

 1658, has a long chapter on them. He calls them 

 Wall-lice, and speaks of them having been known in 

 the~year 1503. Still it is probable that these pests 

 were not very common so early as that year. It is 

 curious to observe that, although Shakspeare mentions 

 bugs five times, in each case " bug " does not denote 

 the insect, but is synonymous with " bug-bear" or 

 "hobgoblin." The application of the term to the bed 

 pest must, therefore, have been subsequent to Shak- 

 peare's time. The verse in Psalm 

 xci. 5, now rendered ''terror by 

 night," probably referring to 

 night attacks from enemies, is in 

 Matthew's Bible given, " Thou 

 shalt not be afraid of any bugs m ^^^^^^-^ 

 by night." The word Bug or ^ ^^^t^ 

 Bogie means an object of terror, l^..^^^ $> 



from the cry of " Bo !" or " Boo !" 

 a person utters when with covered p,,f ^^ ^^^^y.^,^ peksona^tus 

 face he seeks to frighten children ; coverkd with dust. 

 it is applied to th-c insect in a secondary sense as an 

 object of horror. The eggs of these creatures are, ac- 

 cording to Westwood, for 1 do not know them myself, 

 white and of an oval form, terminated by a cap which 

 breaks off to let the young escape, which are white 



D 



