78 
THE ENTOMOLOGIST’S WEEKLY INTELLIGENCEK. 
lowed them. True I saw only a Bem- 
hidium normannum, and in securing it I 
started one or two B. ephippium, but in 
pursuing these the grains of sand seemed 
to shiver and move under my feet with a 
centrifugal motion, I being the centre of 
distraction. So, like the waggoner who 
prayed to Jupiter, I went on my knees, 
not to pray heaven, but to do what the 
waggoner was told to do — help myself. 
Self-help is a fine thing to talk about, 
and though I do not for a moment mean 
to say that self-help and helping oneself 
are usually synonymous, yet they were 
in this instance. So, after several fruit- 
less endeavours I succeeded in arresting 
one of the moving atoms, and behold it 
was only a juvenile Saida, not even in a 
state to be called hemipterous. Again 
and again I got only one of these soft, 
brown runners (1 had almost called the 
vagrants sans-culottes, but brand them 
as sans-ailes), and had well nigh come 
to the conclusion that all the moving 
creatures I had seen were of the same 
kind, when I saw one atom literally 
jump, alight about six inches ofiF, and 
jump again. Of course I determined to 
secure this dancer, but in making the 
attempt I started several more, and then 
I, as if bewitched, became helplessly in- 
volved in the mazes of their dance ; it 
certainly was not for my pleasure, seeing 
I could not secure a partner Hope, 
Dancing Dervishes, Ignis fatuus, 
Syrens with soft voices luring Ulysses 
to their dangerous rocks : all these 
and many other deceptive emotions, 
persons or things, have I heard of, but 
never imagined anything so delusive 
and elusive as these Hemiptera that now 
fled from my outstretched hands. A 
sweeping net was of no assistance ; they 
refused to jump into it, and lay flat when 
it was moved towards them. Truly I 
believe they laughed at my frantic 
endeavours to capture them. At length, 
utterly wearied with the chase, I looked 
out one singly and fairly ran him to 
earth, not sufifering my attention to be 
diverted to his companions, winged and 
wingless, who did their best to distract 
me as before. In this way I succeeded 
in capturing a few of these Saldw — three 
species, of whose names in the present 
state of knowledge of this genus the less 
that is said the better. How'ever, I dis- 
covered one fact about them, which is 
that it is only the perfect insect that 
hops — at least the imperfect ones only 
ran in my presence : I can hardly think 
that that was a ruse of young Saida. 
J. W. Douglas. 
June 3, 1861. 
THE ORIGIN OF SPECIES. 
A New Song. 
{From Blackwood’s Magazine for May.) 
Have you heard of this question the 
doctors among. 
Whether all living things from a Monad 
have sprung ? 
This has lately been said, and it now shall 
be sung. 
Which nobody can deny. 
Not one or two ages sufficed for the feat. 
It required a few millions the change to 
complete; 
But now the thing’s done and it looks 
rather neat, 
Which nobody can deny. 
The original Monad, our great-great 
grandsire. 
To little or nothing at first did aspire; 
But at last to have offspring it took a 
desire. 
Which nohody can deny. 
