208 SALMONIA. [EIGHTH DAY. 



marvellous history of these wonderful animals, which, 

 if not so well authenticated, might be supposed a 

 philosophical romance ; such as the neuter or work- 

 ing ants feeding eacn other and the offspring ; the 

 manner in which they make, defend, and repair their 

 dwellings, provide their food, watch and attend to the 

 female, and take care of her eggs; their extraordinary 

 mode of acquiring and defending the aphides and 

 cocci, which bear to them the same relation that 

 cattle do to man, which are fed by them with so 

 much care, and the milk of which forms so important 

 a part of their food ; the predatory excursions of a 

 particular species to carry off pupae, which they bring 

 up as slaves. 



HAL. To enter into any of the details of the 

 history of insects in society, would carry us into an 

 interminable, though interesting subject, that would 

 soon lose all relation to fly-fishing: and I fear what 

 I have to say, even on the winged insects connected 

 with this amusement, will occupy too much of your 

 time, for we have not more than an hour to devote to 

 this object. 



POIET. Tell us what you please : we are attentive. 



HAL. The various individuals of the gryllus, or 

 grasshopper tribe, spring from larvae, that do not 

 differ much from the perfect insect, except in possess- 

 ing no wings. The eggs are deposited in our meadows, 



