286 



KEW ENGLAND FARMEE. 



June 



serve them take their victims some still after- 

 noon in June, he will be exceedingly interested. 

 He must sit down quietly near some corn or 

 other plants, having them between him and the 

 sun, otherwise he would not be able to see the 

 extremely small gnats that are flying or spring- 

 ing from plant to plant, in search of their food, 

 or sporting in the mild rays of the sun just be- 

 fore it sets. At a little distance from the plants 

 the "devil's needle," with wings outstretched and 

 vibrating so rapidly as scarcely to show any mo- 

 tion, seems poised in the air, a pretty, harmless 

 thing. Now he has changed his place — you did 

 not see him move ! but in that lightning dash 

 his prey was secured ! A more careful observa- 

 tion will enable you to see his motions, as well 

 as the minute insects upon which he feeds. This 

 dragon-fly is repulsive to many persons, but a 

 better acquaintance with him will bring him into 

 favor. 



5. Lepidoptera. Butterflies and Moths. These 

 insects have a mouth with a spiral sucking tube, 

 and four wings covered with scales. They be- 

 long to an order called Lepidoptera, which means 

 scaly-wings ; for the mealy powder with which 

 their wings are covered, when seen under a pow- 

 erful microscope, is found to consist of little 

 scales, lapping over each other like the scales of 

 fishes, and implanted into the skin of the wings 

 by short stems. 



6. Hymenoptera. Satoflies, Ants, Wasps, 

 Bees, &c. Insects with jaws, four-veined wings, 

 in most species, the hinder pair being the small- 

 est, and a piercer or sting at the extremity of 

 the abdomen. They fly swiftly, and are able to 

 keep on the wing much longer than any other 

 insects, because their bodies are light and com- 

 pact, and their wings very thin, narrow, and with- 

 al very strong. The males have no weapons of 

 offence or defence except their jaws. The females 

 are armed with a venomous sting, concealed in 

 the hind part of the body. The word Hijmenoj?- 

 tera, is from two Greek words, meaning a mem- 

 irane, and a wing. 



7. DiPTERA. Mosquitos, O-nats, Flies, &c. In- 

 sects with a hox'ny or fleshy proboscis, two wings 

 only, and two knobbed threads, called balancers 

 or poisers, behind the wings. The word Dipte- 

 ra signifies two luings. Various kinds of gnats 

 and of flies are therefore the insects belonging 

 to this order. The proboscis or sucker, where- 

 with they take their food, is placed under the 

 head, and sometimes can be drawn up and con- 

 cealed, partly or wholly, within the cavity of the 

 mouth. 



If the farmer were to give a little more atten- 

 tion to these busy out-door people who occupy 

 his farm with him, who are his constant compan- 

 ions, who sometimes aid and sometimes injure 



his plans, while they are enjoying their brief 

 life and seeking to perpetuate their kind, he 

 would find an interest in them which would al- 

 most repay him for partial losses of crops. That 

 attention might also lead him to such a knowl- 

 edge of their habits as to enable him to prevent 

 any injury from them. 



There are several excellent works upon the 

 subject of insects, the best of which, for the com- 

 mon reader, may be "Harris' Insects Injurious to 

 Vegetation." "Fitch's Noxious Insects of New 

 York," is also a popular and reliable work. There 

 is also KoUer on Insects, and various works des- 

 cribing the insects of particular States or other 

 localities. 



For the New Englaml Parmer. 

 EEASOIS" AND ANIMALS. 



Walking along the streets of Boston a few 

 days since, my attention was called to the motions 

 of a blind man led by a large black dog, to which 

 a string was attached, one end of which was held 

 by the hand of the man. While passing along the 

 walks between the cross streets, there was no 

 more than ordinary interest exhibited by the dog 

 for the man. He occasionally looking around to 

 see if his master was feeling his v/ay with bis 

 cane successfully, and was not jostled by the pass- 

 ers by, trotted on or walked as he saw his way 

 clear, or as the v/ill of his master determined. 

 There chanced to be a wide street crossing their 

 path to which they were approaching, and my cu- 

 riosity was excited to know the result of their at- 

 tempt to cross. As they came near to the side 

 of the walk, the dog stopped, and the man, gov- 

 erned somewhat by the sound in the street, and 

 by the dog, slackened his pace, and immediately 

 commenced feeling with his cane for the curb- 

 stone ; having found it, he stood near it and pre- 

 pared himself to step down at a moment's warn- 

 ing from the dog. In the meanwhile the street 

 being full of vehicles, the dog looked up the 

 street to the left, and down to the right, looked 

 as did the gentlemen and ladies who gathered 

 about him, for an opportunity to cross, without 

 being run against, or hurrying ungracefully over. 

 Soon the street became clearer, and nearly free 

 of wagons, only one remained in the street. Most 

 of the pedestrians were passing over; but the 

 dog did not start, the reason we found to be, a 

 wagon which was coming in the distance rattling 

 along which he had caught sight of, and had cal- 

 culated ti-uly that he could not cross before that 

 came along, and accordingly he waited for it to 

 pass. But he had evidently determined to cross 

 when that had passed, as he exhibited a careless 

 restlessness, as if no alertness M-as needed at pres- 

 ent, but a patience in waiting that the wjgon 

 might pass and allow him to put into execution 

 the result of his reasonings, that of taking ad- 

 vantage of the opportunity which would certainly 

 be presented. When the vehicle was abreast lie 

 started, and the man with one step was in the 

 street, and with the use of his cane and the con- 

 stant pulling of the dog on the sti'ing he hurried 

 safely over. 



This may be seen most any week in this city, 



