WINTER INSECTS OF EASTERN NEW YORK. 
BY ASA FITCH, M. D, 
It is the object of the following paper, to describe those insects of 
Eastern New York, which occur in their perfect state in the win- 
ter, and are peculiar to that season and the early part of spring. 
They are objects of curiosity, as coming forth to our view in full 
maturity and vigor, at that time in the year when almost every 
other member of the animal and vegetable kingdoms is reposing 
in torpidity under the chilling influence of solstitial cold. In an 
economical aspect, they possess but little importance, their period 
of life being limited to that season when the field furnishes no 
herbage, the garden no flowers, and the orchard no fruits, on 
which they can prey. They are chiefly interesting, therefore, 
merely as objects of scientific research—as forming integral parts 
of that vast array of animated beings, with which the Father of 
Life has populated our world, and rendered it vocal with his 
raise. 
Hence it is to the scientific rather than the agricultural reader, 
that the following pages are addressed. To him they will be suf- 
ficiently intelliglble, without such illustrations as have accompa- 
nied our previous contributions to this Journal. 
A few words respecting the analogies of the two first species 
here described, may not be devoid of interest to the general reader. 
A small insect, destitute of wings, and bearing some resemblance 
to a flea in its general aspect, is found in the winter season, upon 
the snow in the northern part of Europe, and also occurs upon the 
Alps and the Hartz mountains. It has been known for nearly a 
century, and from its singularly anomalous characters, naturalists 
have been much perplexed to determine in which particular family 
of the insect tribes it might with the most propriety be rng 
Linneus was the first to classify and name it. He regarded it as 
possessing more analogies with the species associated in his genus 
Parpano, than with any other insects, and accordingly arranged 
