OBSERVATIONS, &C. 255 



under the shelter of its leaves, concealing 

 themselves between its fibres and the trees 

 which it entwines. White. 



This I have often observed, having seen 

 bees and other winged insects swarming 

 about the flowers of the ivy very late in 

 the Autumn. Markwick, 



Spiders, woodlice, lepismae in cupboards 

 and among sugar, some empedes, gnats, 

 flies of several species, some phalaenae in 

 hedges, earth-worms, &c. are stirring at 

 all times, when Winters are mild; and are of 

 great service to those soft-billed birds that 

 never leave us. 



On every sunny day the Winter through, 

 clouds of insects, usually called gnats (I 

 suppose tipulseand empedes), appear sport- 

 ing and dancing over the tops of the ever- 

 green trees in the shrubbery, and frisking 

 about as if the business of generation was 

 still going on. Hence it appears that these 

 diptera (which by their sizes appear to be 



