TROPICAL AMERICA. INSECTS. 85 



may be briefly noticed. — The land crabs are numerous, 

 and very curious ; since they live but a part of the year 

 in water, and resort, at other times, to the woods and 

 forests. They seem to abound more particularly in the 

 West India islands ; but whether they are of the same 

 species as those found in Western Africa has not, we 

 beHeve, been clearly ascertained. Many of the fresh, 

 water crawfish are nearly as big as young lobsters. The 

 scorpions are small, and, excepting those of Surinam, 

 not much larger than the species found in the south of 

 Europe. The venomous centipedes of Africa and Asia 

 are strangers to this continent, or, at least, are so rare 

 that we never met with one. The bird-catching spider 

 Mygale avicularia (fig 35.),[ as it is improperly called. 



is the largest of this family yet discovered. Madame 

 Marian, in her Surinam plates of insects, represents it as 

 feeding upon the humming-bird ; but we never found 

 it on trees, and suspect this habit is entirely contrary to 

 its nature. The silkworm is unknown, either wild or 

 cultivated ; but America possesses the cochineal insect, 

 of nearly as much importance to commerce ; it has been 

 hitherto confined to the repubUc of Mexico ; and, be- 

 sides its use in dyeing, furnishes the rich colour called 

 carmine, the most beautiful of all the pictorial reds. 



(121.) To enumerate the tribes of winged insects 

 peculiar ^ to South America is altogether impossible ; 

 yet we cannot pass over this lovely portion of creation 



o 3 



