ENTOMOLOGY. 181 



encounter a centipede, which, however, they did not put 

 to death, until they had completely encrusted him ; and 

 though in the conflict, thousands of them were destroyed, 

 they finally killed him. Nor are these all the advan- 

 tages derived from them : a low priced brandy is made in 

 Sweden, of rye and ants these insects supplying a 

 resin, an oil, and an acid. And in that country, they 

 are not unfrequently eaten uncooked, for their acid taste ; 

 the devourers first plucking off their heads and wings. 

 The ichneumon-fly is of essential service, in depositing 

 its eggs, in the eggs or as yet imbecile larvae or by 

 checking the progress of the powerful and voracious 

 caterpillar. The sphex, or ichneumon-wasp, is a de- 

 stroyer of the cockroach ; wasps destroy for us immense 

 quantities of flies and in the interior of New England, 

 their paper nests are used in affections of the lungs. 

 What their virtues are, the writer knows not : the sub- 

 stance by which they unite the particles of their nests 

 together may perhaps be of a stimulating quality, and 

 thus be enabled to relieve the existing stricture. But the 

 Bee, which has been already dwelt upon, is the most 

 valuable insect of this order. 



If in speaking of the order Neuroptera, it was remark- 

 ed that the injuries they produced were of but small con- 

 sideration, I must here notice an order, in which but 

 little obvious advantage is perceived, to compensate for 

 its powers of annoyance. 



The sixth order of Insects is called Diptcra from dis, 

 twice, or double ; they having but two wings. In this 

 order, we find the various kinds of flics and the musquitto ; 

 here we observe not only genera which attack our provi- 

 sions arid ruin them, which harass, and render furious 

 our cattle, and horses, and flocks, but also those which 

 avoid less palatable food, to regale themselves with the 

 blood of man. The first genus, GEstrus, the gad-fly, 

 is the most troublesome, which affects our domestic ani- 

 mals. The gad-fly of the ox, deposits its eggs in the 

 body of that animal, and thus the larvae are provided for, 

 during the whole winter. You may imagine how trouble- 

 some such an insect must be to the animal, particularly 

 if it should suffer from indisposition after the deposition 



