370 iV/Jir York State Agricultural Society. 
we extract what follows from the account of the Miana bug, given by 
M. Kotzebue, in his Travels in Persia, in 1817, as cited by Walckenaer 
and Gervais in their Natural History of Apterous Insects, although 
some of the statements have a savor of the proverbial exaggerations 
of travelers. The European bug, with which he compares that of 
Miana, we suppose to be the common bed-bug. 
This dangerous insect, called the Miana bug, is a little larger than 
the European bug, and is blackish gray, sprinkled on the back with 
a multitude of red points. It conceals itself in the walls of dwellings, 
frequenting in preference those that are old. In these the bugs are 
found in great abundance, and their prick is most dangerous. They 
never show themselves in the day-time, and are also afraid of light, 
though the glare of lamps and candles does not always put them to 
flight. They have infested Miana from time immemorial, and scatter 
themselves out into its suburbs, where they are a little less dangerous. 
During winter they remain motionless in the holes of the walls, 
and, like all venomous animals, it is in the greatest heat of the 
summer that their poison has the most activity. What is most 
marvelous of these bugs is that they do not attack the native inhabi¬ 
tants, or, at least, the puncture which they make in them has no 
more grave results than that of the bugs of Europe \ but, in return, 
they make a cruel war upon strangers who have the misfortune to 
pass a night at Miana, often causing their death in less than twenty- 
four hours. Of this I have heard two instances related. 
The English residents at Tabreez unitedly declare that they at 
Miana lost one of their servants who was attacked by these terrible 
insects. lie soon after felt a violent heat all over his body, fell into 
a kind of delirium, and finally expired in terrible convulsions. 
From others I have received information, equally credible, about 
Colonel Baron Wrede, who some years ago was sent as Russian 
ambassador to Persia. It was quite late in the season when he passed 
Miana, and thinking there was then nothing to fear from the bug, he 
rested there over night, but with the precaution of having a candle 
lighted in his room. He experienced no evil, but a Cossack in his 
retinue, the next morning had a black spot on his foot, took to talking 
wildly?and at length fell into a paroxysm of frenzy. The inhabitants 
advised a remedy they used in such cases. This was to skin an ox 
and envelope the foot in the warm hide. Recourse was had to this 
expedient, but it was of no service, and the poor Cossack died in 
woful agony. We are assured that this measure is commonly success¬ 
ful, but it is also necessary that the diseased person remains forty 
