CHEESE FLY. 263 



lions to the officers of the customs at the different out- 

 ports respecting the examination of cargoes, — de- 

 spatches were written to the ambassadors in France, 

 Austria, Prussia, and America, to gain information, — 

 and so important altogetlier was tlie business deemed, 

 tliat the minutes of council, and the documents col- 

 lected from all quarters, till upwards of two hundred 

 pages.* 



As in the case of the English wheat-fly, the Ame- 

 rican Hessian fly has a formidable enemy in a 

 minute four-winged fly {Ccraphron destrucfor, Say), 

 which deposits its eggs in the larvte. Were it not 

 for the Ceraphron, indeed, INIr Say is of opinion that 

 the crops of wheat would be totally annihilated in 

 the districts where the Hessian fly prevails.! 



Those who have, from popular associations, been 

 accustomed to look with disgust at the little white 

 larvae common in cheese, well known under the name 

 of hoppers, will be somewhat surprised to hear the 

 illustrious Swammcrdam say, ' I can take upon me 

 to aftirm, that the limbs and other parts of this 

 maiigot are so uncommon and elegant, and con- 

 trived with so much art and design, that it is impos- 

 sible not to acknowledge them to be the work of infi- 

 nite power and wisdom, from which nothing is hid, 

 and to which nothing is impossible. J' But who- 

 ever will cxamme it with care, will find that Swam- 

 mcrdam has not exaggerated the facts. 



The cheese-fly {Piopliila Ca.ici, Fallen) is very 

 small and black, with whitish wings, margined with 

 black. It was one of those experimented upon by 

 Rcdi to prove that insects, in the fabric of which so 

 much art, order, contrivance, and wisdom appear, 



* Young, Annals of Agric, vol. xi. 

 t Joum. of Acad. Philadelph. ut supra. 

 \ Bibl. Natura, vol. ii, p. 63. 



