OBSERVATIONS ON INSECTS AND VERMES. 287 



OBSERVATIONS ON INSECTS AND VEBMES. 



INSECTS IN GENEKAL. 



THE day and night insects occupy the annuals alternately : the 

 papilios, muscae, and apes, are succeeded at the close of day by phaleenae, 

 earwigs, woodlice, &c. In the dusk of the evening, when beetles begin 

 to buz, 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 disappear, probably retire 

 under the shelter of its leaves, concealing themselves between its 

 fibres and the trees which it entwines. WHITE. 



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. 



Spiders, woodlice, lepismee in cupboards and among sugar, some 

 empedes, gnats, flies of several species, some phalsense 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 tipulae and empedes) appear sporting and 

 dancing over the tops of the evergreen trees in the shrubbery, and 

 striking about as if the business of generation 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. WHITE. 



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 winter, 

 even when the ground has been covered with snow. MARKWICK. 



HUMMING IN THE AIE. 



There is a natural occurrence to be met with upon the highest part 

 of our down in hot summer days, which always amuses me much, 

 without giving me any satisfaction with respect to the cause of it ; and 

 that is, a loud audible humming of bees in the air, though not one 

 insect is to be seen. This sound is to be heard distinctly the whole 

 common through, from the Money-dells, to Mr. White's avenue gate. 

 Any person would suppose that a large swarm of bees was in 



