OBSEEVATIONS ON INSECTS AND VEEMES. 287 
OBSERYATIONS ON INSECTS AND VERMES. 
INSECTS m GEISTEEAL. 
The day and niglit insects occupy the annuals alternately : the 
papilios, muscse, and apes, are succeeded at the close of day by phalsenae, 
earwigs, woodlice, &c. In the dusk of the evening, when beetles begin 
to buz, partridges begin to call ; these two circumstances are exactly 
coincident. 
Ivy is the last flower that supports the hymenopterous and dipterous 
insects. On sunny days quite on to November they swarm on trees 
covered with this plant ; and when they disappear, probably retire 
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, lepismas in cupboards and among sugar, some 
empedes, gnats, flies of several species, some phalsenaB 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 tipulae and empedes) appear sporting and 
dancing over the tops of the evergreen trees in the shrubbery, and 
striking about as if the business of generation was still going on. 
Hence it appears that these diptera (which by their sizes appear to be 
of diflferent species), are not subject to a torpid state in the winter, as 
most winged insects are. At night, and in frosty weather, and when 
it rains and blows, they seem to retire into those trees. They often are 
out in a fog. — White. 
This I have also seen, and have frequently observed swarms of little 
winged insects playing up and down in the air in the middle of winter, 
even when the ground has been covered with snow. — Markwick. 
HUMMING IN THE AIR. 
There is a natural occurrence to be met with upon the highest part 
of our down in hot summer days, which always amuses me much, 
without giving me any satisfaction with respect to the cause of it ; and 
that is, a loud audible humming of bees in the air, though not one 
insect is to be seen. This sound is to be heard distinctly the whole 
common through, from the Money-dells, to Mr. White's avenue gate. 
Any person would suppose that a large swarm of bees was in 
