Indian Insects — House Visitants. Ill 



wolf" has produced the usual effect of making people pay little 

 or no attention to the warning voice, even when it sounds more 

 earnest than usual, they finally begin to discharge themselves 

 on the earth. Sometimes the rainy season (caused by the south- 

 west monsoon) comes on gradually : more commonly, how- 

 ever, a magnificent thunder storm inaugurates its reign. The 

 dry and thirsty land in a few hours becomes green as emerald, 

 and the animals reassert their place in creation. It would 

 scarcely be relevant to the present subject to point out the 

 several elements which go to constitute the wondrous transfor- 

 mation so gladdening to the eye : it is enough to note the phe- 

 nomena presented by the insect world. 



Within a week after the rainy season has established itself, 

 the number of insects which have quitted the state of suspended 

 animation, if one can call it so, and flown forth from their living 

 graves, is very great, nor are their beauties withheld from 

 human observation. The night has just set in, outside the 

 atmosphere is moist, inside it is somewhat close, and Pater- 

 familias, in sitting down to tea, directs that the doors shall be 

 thrown open. The order is carried out, when a multitude 

 of uninvited guests at once present themselves, attracted, it 

 must in justice be stated, not by his viands, but by the argand 

 lamp which burns so brilliantly upon his table. They are 

 insects of very varied families. On the first two or three 

 occasions when this occurs, the novelty of the spectacle makes 

 one reluctant to interfere with it in any way ; but before long 

 scientific ardour receives a check of an unromantic character. 

 As roughs may intermingle with thoroughly respectable pro- 

 cessionists, so flying bugs, especially a black species, troop in 

 at the door with the rest of the insect world, and, being some- 

 what clumsy in. their flight, are exceedingly prone to fall full 

 length into the cups of tea. Their smell is precisely that of 

 the domestic pest to which they have so close an affinity ; and 

 we fancied, though it may have been no more than fancy, that 

 they imparted both that, and a peculiar taste to the tea into 

 which they tumbled, so that in all cases the cup degraded by 

 the presence of such visitants was sent away. It was therefore 

 found the best policy to keep the doors closed till tea was over, 

 and then fling them open, to afford ingress to the insect crowd 

 waiting outside. When at length leave was granted, the rush 

 began. In they trooped, great and small, representatives of 

 this, and representatives of that order : all directing their way 

 to the common centre of attraction, the lamp upon the table. 

 It was impossible to prevent many from burning their wings 

 or perishing in the flame. 



The Uoleoptera figured in large numbers, many distinct 

 families sending each a contingent to the general muster. One 



