60 Ohservatlons on some Insects little known. 



fore I am much inclined to suspect the accuracy of the above. 

 At any rate, very little can be gathered from this description ; 

 but, as the insect is compared to the bug, there is rea- 

 son to conjecture that it may have some affinity with that 

 species. It is, however, difficult to determine whether it be 

 an acanthia, a cimex, or a reduvius. Besides, we have hi- 

 therto no instance that any insect belonging to this species 

 can produce so noxious effects ; and if the coya really exists, 

 the account of it is probably exaggerated, as Ulloa's in- 

 formation was no doubt derived from the natives. StoU* 

 describes an insect of Surinam, which perliaps is the same 

 as the coya, or has an affinity with it. He calls it the poi- 

 sonous bug, and gives the following description of it : — 

 *' The feelers, which consist of live joints, are yellow ; the 

 ej'cs are very prominent, and behind these eyjs are placed 

 two small shining ones : the neck is united to the corslet 

 by means of a small tube. The fore-legs are covered with 

 black hairs ; which gives them a very rough aspect. The 

 corslet IS of a shining appearance, black and arched : the 

 membranous part of the sheaths of the wings is transpa- 

 rent, and the wings themselves are brownish yellow : the 

 hind part of the body is of a dark yellow colour on both 

 sides. It is said that this bug is furnished with a sting, and 

 that the puncture it makes occasions unsupportable pain." 

 I have mentioned this bug, in my Natural History of poi- 

 sonous Insects t, under the name of reduvius venenatus. 

 The reduvius anmdatus, however, seems to approach nearer 

 to the coya, because it is red ; but this bug, as far as I 

 know, is not a native of America, which is the country of 

 the reduvius venenatus. 



M. Schroter, superintendant of Weimar, is the first na- 

 turalist who gave an account of the moschka. It is to be 

 found in the first part of his Treatises on various OhjeGts 

 of Natural Histuri/ j. The account he gives is in substance 

 as follows: — " T^he moschka has some similarity to the 

 musca iiemormn of Linna2us : it is, however, diflferent. It 

 diflfers from Schafer's oestrus by its four eyes, as the latter 

 has onlv three. It is ven,-- danijerous to cattle, and parti- 

 cularly to oxen. It makes a luud humming noise when it 

 approaches them, falls suddenly upon tiiem, and then drops 

 on the grass. The cattle as soon as they hear this enemy 

 at a distance betake themselves to flight, and cani it be re- 

 strained. T'his msect seldom appears, and flies with great 



* Tab. xiii. f 66. f Part i. p. i+r. 



+ Ablian<llungen iiber verschiedene Gegenbwnde der Naturgeschichte, 

 Halk- 1775, Svo. 



rapidity : 



