114- DIRECT INJURIES CAUSED BY INSECTS. 



that the cathedral was on fire. A similar occurrence, 

 in like manner giving rise to an alarm of the church 

 being on fire, took place in July 1812 at Sagan in Si- 

 lesia a . In the following year at Norwich, in May, at 

 about six o'clock in the evening, the inhabitants of that 

 city were alarmed by the appearance of smoke issuing 

 from the upper window of the spire of the cathedral, for 

 which at the time no satisfactory account could be given, 

 but which was most probably produced by the same 

 cause. And in the year 1766, in the month of August, 

 they appeared in such incredible numbers at Oxford as 

 to resemble a black cloud, darkening the air and almost 

 totally intercepting the beams of the sun. One day, a 

 little before sun-set, six columns of them were observed 

 to ascend from the boughs of an apple-tree, some in a 

 perpendicular and others in an oblique direction, to the 

 height of fifty or sixty feet. Their bite was so enve- 

 nomed, that it was attended by violent and alarming in- 

 flammation ; and one when killed usually contained as 

 much blood as would cover three or four square inches 

 of wall b . Our great poet Spenser seems to have wit- 

 nessed a similar appearance of them, which furnished 

 him with the following beautiful simile : 



As when a swarme of gnats at eventide 



Out of the fennes of Allan doe arise, 



Their murmuring small trumpets sownden wide, 



Whiles in the air their clust'ring army flies, 



That as a cloud doth seem to dim the skies ; 



Ne man nor beast may rest or take repast 



For their sharp wounds and noyous injuries. 



a Germar's Magazin der Entomologie, i. 137. 

 b Philos. Trans. 1767, 111-13. I once witnessed a similar appear- 

 ance at Maidstone in Kent. 



