NOISES OF INSECTS. 379 
humerous tribes, even those that fan the air with “ sail- 
broad vans,” produce little or no sound by their motion. 
I must therefore leave them, as well as the Trichoptera 
and Neuroptera, which are equally barren of insects of 
sounding wing—and proceed to an order, the Hymeno- 
ptera, in which the insects that compose it are, many of 
them, of more fame for this property. 
The indefatigable hive-bee, as she flies from flower to 
flower, amuses the observer with her hum, which, though 
monotonous, pleases by exciting the idea of happy in- 
dustry, that wiles the toils of labour with a song. 
When she alights upon a flower, and is engaged in col- 
lecting its sweets, her hum ceases; but it is resumed 
again the moment that she leaves it—'The wasp and 
hornet also are strenuous hummers; and when they 
enter our apartments, their hum often brings terror with 
it. Butthe most sonorous fliers of this order are the 
larger humble-bees, whose bombination, booming, or 
bombing, may be heard from a considerable distance, 
gradually increasing as the animal approaches you, and 
when, in its wheeling flight, it rudely passes close to 
your ear, almost stunning you by its sharp, shrill, and 
deafening sound. Many genera, however, of this order 
fly silently. 
But the noisiest wings belong to insects of the dipte- 
yous order, a majority of which, probably, give notice 
of their approach by the sound of their trumpets. -Most 
of those, however, that have a slender body,—the gnat 
genus (Culex) excepted,—explore the air in silence. Of 
this description are the JTipulida, the Asilide, the ge- 
nus Hmpis, and their affinities. The rest are more’ or 
less insects of a humming flight; and with respect to 
