THE EARWIG KIND. 37 



pursuit of the female, ceasing to feed, and is 

 wholly employed in the business of propagation. 

 It lives in its winged state but a few days j and 

 having taken care for the continuance of poste- 

 rity, dries up, and dies, to all appearance con- 

 sumptive. 



To this order of insects we may also refer the 

 Cuckoo Spit or Froth Worm, that is often found 

 hid in that frothy matter which we find on the 

 surface of plants. It has an oblong obtuse body, 

 and a large head, with small eyes. The external 

 wings, for it has four, are of a dusky brown, 

 marked with two white spots ; the head is black. 

 The spume in which it is found wallowing is all 

 of its own formation, and very much resembles 

 frothy spittle. It proceeds from the vent of the 

 animal, and other parts of the body ; and if it be 

 wiped away, a new quantity will be quickly seen 

 ejected from the little animal's body. Within 

 this spume it is seen in time to acquire four tuber- 

 cles on its back, wherein the wings are enclosed ; 

 these bursting, from a reptile it becomes a winged 

 animal, and thus rendered perfect, it flies to meet 

 its mate, and propagate its kind. 



The Water Tipula also belongs to this class. It 

 has an oblong slender body, with four feet fixed 

 upon the breast, and four feelers near the mouth. 

 It has four weak wings, which do not at all seem 

 proper for flying, but leaping only. But what 

 this insect chiefly demands our attention for is, 

 the wonderful lightness wherewith it runs on the 

 surface of the water, so as scarcely to put it in 

 motion. It is sometimes seen in rivers, and on 



