New Jerfey, Raccoon. 405 



ftrong as thofe of the common Dung-chaffer 

 (Scarabausjlerccrarius) . 



April 4th. A Cicindela, or ihining beetle, with 

 a gold-green head, thorax,, and feet, #nd a blue- 

 green abdomen or belly, flew every were about 

 the fields, and was hunting, other infedls. Iris 

 very comrnqn in North America, apd feems to be 

 a mere variety of the Cicirylela camptftris. 



CiMR.x lacujlris, a kind of Water-hugs, hop- 

 ped in numbers on the furface of waters which 

 had a flow courfe. 



DYTISCUS piceus y or, the great Water-beetle^ 

 fwam fometimes in the water. 



ABOUT fixty years ago, the greateft part of 

 this country was covered with tall and thick 

 trees, and the fwamps were fu)l of water. But 

 it has undergone fo great a change, ,as few other 

 places have undergone in fo ftiort a time. At 

 prefent the forefts are cut down in moft places, 

 the fwamps drained by ditches, the cpuntry cul- 

 tivated, and changed into corn- fields, meadow?, 

 and paftures. Therefore, it feems very reafon- 

 able to fuppofe, that fo fudden a change has like- 

 wife had fome effedt upon the weather. I was 

 therefore defirous of hearing from the old Swedes^ 

 who have lived the longeft in this country, and 

 have been inhabitants of this place during the 

 whole time of the change mentioned, whether 

 the prefent ftate of the weather was in fome parti-, 

 culars remarkably different from that which they 

 felt in their younger years ? The following is an 

 account which they all unanimoufly gave me in 

 anfwer to this queftion. 



THE winter came fooner formerly than it does 



now. 



