160 INSECTS. 



morning. On approaching the hills, I was first struck 

 by observing the asphalt pathway that runs along the top 

 of the bank of shingle, being thickly strewn with speci- 

 mens of Athalia, and on nearing the hills I observed 

 that they were partially obscured by a dense cloud which, 

 shifting in the sunlight, occasionally assumed a bright 

 orange tint, then quickly became of a bright glittering 

 silvery hue, as the sun gleamed upon the shining wings 

 of the hosts of Athalia. I pursued my way penetrating 

 into the cloud of insects which, when observed from a 

 position in which I faced the sun, assumed a tint ap- 

 proaching vermilion red. The Insect-clouds were borne 

 seaward by a gentle south land breeze. I plunged into 

 the water, and hoped by swimming from the shore to 

 free myself from their annoyance, but finding that at a 

 distance of not less than three hundred yards the surface 

 of the sea was thickly covered with them, and as far as 

 I could see that they floated in equal numbers, I hastened 

 to shore and as quickly as I could made my way to the 

 west of the hills, where I found myself freed from their 

 annoyance. Every blade of grass, every rush and twig, 

 was thickly studded with the flies and was bending with 

 their accumulated numbers. The majority of the in- 

 sects I observed were females. I regret that 1 did not 

 at the time examine the insects more minutely in order 

 to ascertain whether the flies had deposited their eggs 

 previous to their being borne on the wind to perish in 

 the sea." 



The ravages of these insects are not confined ,to the 

 plants already mentioned; others of the cabbage tribe, 

 with rose trees, willows, apple, pear, and cherry trees, 

 the white thorn, the alder, beech, birch, pine, elm, and 

 aspen, with others both in England and abroad, are in- 



