362 WHITE 



BOMBYLIUS MEDIUS. The bombylius medius is much about 

 in March and the beginning of April, and soon seems to retire. 

 It is a hairy insect, like a bumble-bee, but with only two wings, 

 and a long straight beak, with which it sucks the early flowers. 

 The female seems to lay its eggs as it poises on its wings, by 

 striking its tail on the ground, and against the grass that 

 stands in its way, in a quick manner, for several times 

 together. WHITE. 



I have often seen this insect fly with great velocity, stop on 

 a sudden, hang in the air in a stationary position for some 

 time, and then fly off again ; but do not recollect having ever 

 seen it strike its tail against the ground, or any other sub- 

 stance. MARKWICK. 



MUSC.E ; FLIES. In the decline of the year, when the 

 mornings and evenings become chilly, many species of flies 

 (muscce) retire into houses, and swarm in the windows. 



At first they are very brisk and alert ; but as they grow 

 more torpid, one cannot help observing that they move with 

 difficulty, and are scarce able to lift their legs, which seem 

 as if glued to the glass ; and by degrees many do actually 

 stick on till they die in the place. 



It has been observed that divers flies, besides their sharp 

 hooked nails, have also skinny palms, or flaps to their feet, 

 whereby they are enabled to stick on the glass and other 

 smooth bodies, and to walk on ceilings with their backs down- 

 ward, by means of the pressure of the atmosphere on those 

 flaps; the weight of which they easily overcome in warm 

 weather, when they are brisk and alert. But in the decline 

 of the year, this resistance becomes too mighty for their 

 diminished strength; and we see flies laboring along, and 

 lugging their feet in windows as if they stuck to the glass, 

 and it is with the utmost difficulty they can draw one foot 

 after another, and disengage their hollow caps from the slip- 

 pery surface. 



Upon the same principle that flies stick and support them- 

 selves, do boys, by way of play, carry heavy weights by only 

 a piece of wet leather at the end of a string clapped close on 

 the surface of a stone. WHITE. 



