756 



A HISTORY OF 



skins four several times ; and, what is very 

 remarkable, the males have four wings, but 

 the females never have any. They all have 

 long leg?, not only to enable them to creep 

 over the long hairs of plants or leaves, but 

 also to travel from one tree to another when 

 they happen to stand at a distance. Their 

 trunk or snout lies under their breast ; and 

 this they thrust into the pores of the plant to 

 suck out the juice, for they do not gnaw them, 

 like the caterpillar ; but so hurt them by 

 sucking, that the leaves become spotted, and 

 as it were overrun with scabs ; for which 

 reason their edges always turn up towards the 

 middle. 



It has been said, that these insects are often 

 cirried away and devoured by ants ; but this 

 Frysch, from whom this description is taken, 

 oould never observe. The ants, indeed, are 

 fond of those trees where there is a great num- 

 ber of those insects ; but then it is only to suck 

 the juice which flows from the leaves that 

 have been just wounded. This more parti- 



! cularly happens in the heat of summer, when 

 other moisture is wanting : however, he never 

 found them hurting or carrying away any of 

 these insects while alive; nor, indeed, were 

 they able, for the leaf-louse is more than a 

 match for the ant at single combat. When- 

 ever they perceive the ant approaching behind 

 them, they kick back with their hinder feet* 

 and thus drive off the invader, as a horse 

 would a lion. 



The three principal and constant enemies 

 to these insects are, first, the fire-fly, which 

 lays its eggs where these insects are in greatest 

 number, which, producing a worm, seizes and 

 devours all the leaf-lice that come near it : 

 another enemy is the worm of a peculiar kind 

 of beetle, which destroys them in great num- 

 bers : but the most formidable of all enemies, 

 is the ichneumon fly, that seizes upon one of 

 the largest females, and laying its egg upon 

 her, this is hatched into a worm, which soon 

 devours and destroys the animal from whose 

 body it sprung. 



CHAPTER CLXXII. 



OF THE BUG, AND ITS VARIETIES. 



THE Bug is another of those nauseous in- 

 sects that intrude upon the retreats of man- 

 kind ; and that often banish that sleep, which 

 even sorrow and anxiety permitted to ap- 

 proach. This, to many men, is of all other 

 insects the most troublesome and obnoxious. 

 The night is usually the season when the 

 wretched have rest from their labour; but 

 this seems the only season when the bug issues 

 from its retreats, to make its depredations. 

 By day it lurks, like a robber, in the most 

 secret parts of the bed ; takes the advantage 

 of every chink and cranny, to make a secure 

 lodgment ; and contrives its habitation with 

 so much art, that scarce any industry can dis- 

 cover its retreat. It seems to avoid the light 

 with great cunning ; and even if candles be 

 kept burning, this formidable insect will not 

 issue from its hiding-place. But when dark- 

 ness promises security, it then issues from 

 f very corner of the bed, drops from the teas- 



ter, crawls from behind the arras, and travels 

 with great assiduity to the unhappy patient, 

 who vainly wishes for rest and refreshment. 

 It is generally vain to destroy one only, as 

 there are hundreds more to revenge their 

 companion's fate ; so that the person who 

 thus is subject to be bitten, remains the whole 

 night like a centinel upon duty, rather watch- 

 ing the approach of fresh invaders, than in- 

 viting the pleasing approaches of sleep. 



Nor are these insects less disagreeable from 

 their nauseous stench, than their unceasing 

 appetites. When they begin to crawl, the 

 whole bed is infected with the smell : but if 

 they are accidentally killed, then it is insup- 

 portable. 



These are a part of the inconveniences that 

 result from the persecution of these odious in- 

 sects : but happily for Great Britain, they 

 multiply less in these islands than in any part 

 of the continent. In France and Italy the 



