remark for depositing its eggs as it flies in so dexter- 

 ous a manner on the single hairs of the legs and flanks 

 of grass-horses. But then Derham is mistaken when 

 he advances that this oestrus is the parent of that won- 

 derful star-tailed maggot which he mentions after- 

 wards ; for more modern entomologists have discov- 

 ered that singular production to be derived from the 

 egg of the Miisca chamceleon,^ 



A full history of noxious insects hurtful in the 

 field, garden, and house, suggesting all the known 

 and likely means of destroying them, would be al- 

 lowed by the public to be a most useful and impor- 

 tant work. What knowledge there is of this sort lies 

 scattered, and wants to be collected ; great improve- 

 ments would soon follow of course. A knowledge 

 of the properties, economy, propagation, and, in 

 short, of the life and conversation of these animals, 

 is a necessary step to lead us to some method of pre- 

 venting their depredations. 



As far as I am a judge, nothing would recommend 

 entomology more than some neat plates that should 

 well express the generic distinctions of insects ac- 

 cording to Linnasus ; for I am well assured that 

 many people would study insects, could they set out 

 with a more adequate notion of those distinctions 

 than can be conveyed at first by words alone. 



Selborne, March 30, 1771. 



* Strati of?iys chama:leon, De Geer. 

 164 



