PLAGUE OF FLIES. 1^ 



in Egypt, where they (the bats) dwell in the palaces and 

 sepulchres of forgotten kings, and the temples of forgotten 

 gods, are particularly replenished with them, because the 

 swelling and subsiding of the Nile cause a vast production of 

 insect life." Mr. Kirby, indeed, adopts another opinion, 

 suggested to him by an eminent and learned prelate, that 

 the Egyptian plague of flies, which is usually supposed to 

 have been either a mixtm-e of different species, or a fly then 

 called the dog-fly {kwo^vio.), but which is not now known, 

 was a cockroach, the Hebrew name of the latter, which is 

 the same by which the raven is also distinguished, furnishing 

 no sUght argument in favour of it, the same word also sig- 

 nifying the evening. Hence, as the cockroach of Egj-pt is 

 black, and appears only in the evening, Mr. Kirby considers 

 the reason sufficient for the name given to it. I am afraid 

 of being charged with presumption in venturing to differ from 

 these learned divines on a point of bibhcal natural history, 

 but I cannot avoid adopting the opinion, that the plague 

 of flies was caused by the musquito. Mr. Kirby evidently 

 appears to have previously adopted the view of the subject 

 given by Bishop Patrick, who says of these flies, that they 

 were " flesh-flies or dog-flies, very bold, troublesome, and 

 venomous. Some think the Hebrew word means a mixtm-e of 

 different insects, all manner of flies;" and Bruce regards it 

 as being probably identical with the insect which he describes 

 under the name of the zimb. We read, on the denunciation 

 of this plague, that Moses was directed to say to Pharaoh, 

 " If thou wilt not let my people go, behold I will send 

 swarms of flies upon thee and upon thy servants, and upon 

 thy people, and into thy houses; and the houses of the 

 Egyptians shall be full of swarms of flies, and also the 

 ground whereon they are ; and I will sever in that day the 

 land of Goshen, in which my people dwell, that no swarms 

 of flies shall be there," &c. Now in this passage we are 



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