306 OBSERVATIONS ON INSECTS. 



OBSERVATIONS ON INSECTS AND VERMES. 

 INSECTS IN GENERAL. 



THE day and night insects occupy the annuals alternately : 

 the papilios, muscce, and apes, are succeeded at the close of day 

 by phalfEna, earwigs,* woodlice, &c. In the dusk of the even- 

 ing, when beetles begin to buzz, partridges begin to call : these 

 two circumstances are exactly coincident. 



Ivy is the last flower that supports the hymenopterous and 

 dipterous insects. On sunny days, quite on to November, they 

 swarm on trees covered with this plant ; and when they dis- 

 appear, probably retire under the shelter of its leaves, concealing 

 themselves between its fibres and the trees which it entwines.f 



Spiders, woodlice, lepismce in cupboards and among sugar, 

 some empedes, gnats, flies of several species, some phalcence in 

 hedges, earth-worms, &c. are stirring at all times, when winters 

 are mild ; and are of great service to those soft-billed birds 

 that never leave us. 



On every sunny day, the winter through, clouds of insects, 

 usually called gnats, (I suppose tipul<B and empedes,) appear 

 sporting and dancing over the tops of the evergreen trees in 

 the shrubbery, and frisking about as if the business of genera- 

 tion was still going on. Hence it appears that these diptera 

 (which by their sizes appear to be of different species) are not 

 subject to a torpid state in the winter, as most winged insects 

 are. At night, and in frosty weather, and when it rains and 

 blows, they seem to retire into those trees. They often are 

 out in a fog.J 



* Earwigs, although it is not generally known, are capable of flying. 

 This is mentioned by Kirby and Spence ; and Mr Denson, of Baysvvater, 

 establishes this fact by experiment." He says, " Each, before taking flight, 

 aided, or effected the expansion of its snow-white membranous wings 

 with the forceps in its tail, which it turned over its back, and used with 

 admirable adroitness. They flew ably, and in curves of short diameters. " 

 ED. 



f This I have often observed, having seen bees and other winged 

 insects swarming about the flowers of the ivy very late in the autumn. 

 MARKWICK. 



\ This I have also seen, and have frequently observed swarms of little 

 winged insects playing up and down in the air in the middle of the winter, 

 even when the ground has been covered with snow. MARK WICK. 



