182 
The Rev. F. W. Hope on JBlatta. 
Blattce attack dogs? No naturalist can I believe affirm it. Do 
flies attack dogs? Undoubtedly. Why then has the question ever 
been raised ? 
The fly is the old and most natural interpretation, and should 
be retained, while the cockroach is of modern date, and unnatural, 
and difficult of explanation, and therefore should be abandoned. 
Feeling fully persuaded, from what has been brought forward, 
that Oreb was a fly, and not a cockroach, I shall suggest a remark 
on the plague of flies, and on insectal worship, to which this in- 
quiry has directed my attention, and shall then conclude by stating, 
that if Egypt of old was afflicted with flies, it is no less true that 
these ancient plagues have in their posterity survived the over- 
throw of kingdoms and dynasties. 
That Egypt was celebrated for noisome flies may be gathered 
both from sacred and profane writers. Of the former I mention 
Isaiah, and of the latter Herodotus. The wonderful effects pro- 
duced by flies led no doubt to their being idolized, but where 
insect worship originated is difficult to assert ; if not in Chaldea, 
it was probably derived from Egypt, where beetle-worship pre- 
vailed. The Jews obtained their notions of fly-worship from the 
Philistines, and it may be a question, perhaps, whether the beetle- 
worship of the Egyptians was the same as the fly-worship of 
Baalzebub. The reproach of the Jews rendering Baalzebub in 
Baalzebul, that is, fly-god into god of dung, or dungy god, seems 
to imply that the fly and beetle had their origin in dung, which is 
in fact true. 
The reason of the Sccirabceus however being esteemed was, that 
it was an emblem of generation, and probably of benefit supposed 
to be connected with it, while that of fly-worship may be traced 
to a different source, namely, the sufferings which man endured 
from insects. On this point I shall not dilate any more, but 
quote a few authors to prove that Egypt is still infested with the 
curse of flies. 
In Sonini’s Travels, vol. iii. p. 19.9, speaking of Egypt, he states, 
“ Of insects there the most troublesome are flies ; both man and 
beast are cruelly tormented with them. No idea can be formed 
of their obstinate rapacity when they wish to fix upon some part 
of the body. It is in vain to drive them away, they return again 
in the self-same moment, and their perseverance wearies out the 
most patient spirit.” In the above passage no particular locality 
or particular fly is specified. The zealous travellers, Forskal and 
Hasselquist, have mentioned both gnats and flies ; the former 
asserts that at Rosetta and Alexandria there are immense num- 
