THE BUG. 377 



them, and they are peculiarly destructive to the vege- 

 table race ; the humblest plant is injured by their de- 

 predations, and the more elegant ones are frequently 

 destroyed. Their trunk, or snout, lies beneath their 

 breast, but they thrust it into the pores of the plant, 

 and by that means suck out its juice ; and their num- 

 bers would absolutely destroy vegetation, were they not 

 devoured both by beetles and flies. 



THE BUG AND ITS VARIETIES. 



The bug is another of those nauseous insects that in- 

 trude both upon the comfort and refreshment of man- 

 kind; and, like the nightly plunderer of his property, 

 commits its depredations when he is in bed. 



The moment a room is darkened, the invaders sally 

 forth from their secret retreats, and not only banish 

 sleep from the eye-lids of the weary, but absolutely 

 overpower them with an offensive smell. This animal, 

 if examined minutely, appears to consist of three prin- 

 cipal parts ; the head, the corselet, and the belly : the 

 eyes are small, though rather prominent; and it has 

 two feelers, with the trunk between ; in addition to 

 which it has two pair of legs : its motion is slow and 

 unwieldy; and Linnasus tells us there are forty different 

 kinds. 



Though the inferior parts of the metropolis are in- 

 fested with them, yet they are infinitely more abundant 

 both in Italy and France; the inns, in particular, 

 swarm so completely with them, that it is impossible 

 for a traveller to obtain any sleep. Cleanliness is al- 

 lowed to be the best antidote against them, and they 

 may always be kept under by frequently taking down 

 the beds ; they are known to live upon each other, and 

 are a general enemy to fleas. 



