178 ENTOMOLOGY. 



yielded up their lives. The vine, too, is often entirely 

 destroyed by a caterpillar of this genus, on the borders of 

 the Black Sea : as soon as the buds open, they eat them 

 off, especially the fruit buds, and devour the germ of 

 the grape : two or three of these caterpillars will so injure 

 a vine, by passing from one germ to another, that it will 

 bear no fruit the next year. But their depredations are 

 . not confined to the vegetable kingdom. The larvae of 

 several species of moths do much injury to the hive bee ; 

 inclosing themselves in tubes of wax, they dwell there, 

 unmindful of the bees. Our farmers have been almost 

 discouraged some seasons, by the depredations of a moth, 

 which utterly ruins their hives, and which has obtained 

 the name generally, of the bee-moth. As however, it is 

 ascertained that the perfect insect deposits its eggs only 

 in clear dry spots, it is thought the evil may, in a great 

 measure, be removed, by placing the hives upon the 

 ground, or strewing earth to the depth of several inches 

 upon their floors. Experiments lead us to hope much 

 will be gained by this method of hiving. Nor are in- 

 sects the only animals affected man himself is not 

 wholly exempt from their attacks. We are told by Azara, 

 that in South America, there is a large brown moth, 

 which deposits its eggs in a kind of saliva, upon the flesh 

 of persons sleeping naked ; introducing themselves under 

 the skin without being perceived, they occasion swelling, 

 accompanied by much pain and inflammation. Although 

 the caterpillars of this order are, among the Chinese, and 

 the inhabitants of New Holland, an article of food, and 

 are considered by the Moors one of their greatest deli- 

 cacies, our chief advantage is derived from individuals 

 of the third genus, Phalena the moth and from that 

 species particularly, which subsists upon the white mul- 

 berry tree, and supplies us with silk. 



Insects having four membranaceous, naked wings, 

 reticulated with veins, or in which the membranes look 

 like net work, make up the fourth order, which is called 

 Ncuroptcra, from neuron a nerve. The dragon-fly, may- 

 fly, and spring-fly, are among the genera of this order. 

 Although the benefits received from this order are of less 

 magnitude than those derived from several others, the 



