OF SELBORNE. 91 



A full history of noxious insects hurtful in the field, garden, 

 and house, suggesting all the known and likely means of de- 

 stroying them, would be allowed by the public to be a most 

 useful and important work. What knowledge there is of this 

 sort lies scattered, and wants to be collected ; great improve- 

 ments would soon follow of course. A knowledge of the pro- 

 perties, oeconomy, propagation, and in short of the life and 

 conversation of these animals, is a necessary step to lead us to 

 some method of preventing their depredations*. 



As far as I am a judge, nothing would recommend entomo- 

 logy more than some neat plates that should well express the 

 generic distinctions of insects according to Linnceus; for I am 



on heaths &c.) form such beautiful microscopic objects. It appears to be 

 identical with the Lepte rouget figured in Dum^ril's l Considerations 

 Generates,' pi. 52. fig. 2. 



" The small shining fly reared from the bacon-hoppers is not a variety of 

 the Musca putris of Linnaeus. It is closely allied to the Tyrophaga casei, 

 Kirby (Piophila casei auct. hodiern.), which is reared from the cheese- 

 hoppers. The bacon-fly mentioned by G. W. is the Piophila luteata of 

 Haliday. It is more robust than the cheese-fly, with shorter and thicker 

 legs, and the wings shorter and yellowish, with thick yellow veins. The 

 Chrysomela oleracea saltatoria is misnamed. The turnip-flea beetle to 

 which G. W. alludes is the Haltica nemorum and JL brassiccc. H. oleracea 

 is quite distinct. The (Estrus curvicauda mentioned by old Mouffet (p. 

 62, with reference to the o-KoXivpov of Pennius), and mentioned also by 

 Bonnet (Phys.-Theol., p. 248 k, edit. xii. 1754) is the common horse-bot 

 (omitted by Linnaeus, or confounded with the ox-bot, (E. bovis), and is 

 the (E. equi of Bracy Clark. Gasterophilus equi, Leach, and the Musca 

 chamaleon, mistaken by Bonnet as the perfect state of the horse-bot, is the 

 Stratiomys chamceleon" 



This (Estrus curvicauda appears to have been a subject of much interest 

 and some difficulty to Gilbert White ; and several allusions to it will be 

 found in some of his letters to his brother John, now published. T. B.] 



* [Had Gilbert White lived some years later he would have had his wish 

 amply fulfilled in the delightful ' Introduction to Entomology ' of Messrs. 

 Kirby and Spence, which is full of the most interesting information on 

 every subject connected with the history of insects. It originally appeared 

 in four volumes 8vo, and passed through several editions before Mr. Spence 

 prepared it for publication in a more portable and popular form. In no 

 part of the work is it more instructive than in that which is required in 

 the above passage. To the chapter on "the direct and indirect injuries 

 caused by insects," the reader is referred for information on the subjects 

 alluded to in the above letter. T. B.l 



