HUMMING IN THE AIR. 227 



part of his down in hot summer days ; and with 

 respect to the cause of which he could not satisfy 

 himself, as not one insect was to be seen. He says, 

 " any person would suppose that a large swarm of 

 bees was in motion, and playing about over his 

 head." * This noise, in fact, may be heard almost 

 everywhere during the height of summer ; at least on 

 bright hot days, when the wind is still. It is cer- 

 tainly deceptive ; but I have not the least doubt of 

 its proceeding from no particular swarms at any 

 given spot, but from the accumulated multitudes of 

 insects, large and small, on wing together, filling the 

 air in every direction, and causing it to resound with 

 their numbers. Most of these are probably of the 

 dipterous kind, and are not only too small to be dis- 

 tinctly perceived whilst rapidly in motion, but fly 

 at a considerable height in the atmosphere propor- 

 tionable to the warmth and fineness of the weather. 



The occurrence of this universal humming is not 

 more amusing (as White speaks of it) than in- 

 structive. It impresses us with an idea of the 

 fulness of all nature. We are greatly struck with 

 the exte'nt to which life teems in the summer season, 

 when, wherever we bend our steps, we thus carry 

 with us such irrefragable proofs of its existence. 

 The countless myriads about us, though not visible 

 to the eye, are made obvious to the ear ; and if we 

 have any of those feelings within us which best be- 

 come the true naturalist, we shall be irresistibly led 

 to reflect on the immensity of that Being from whom 



* Naturalists' Calendar, p. 99. 



