LESSONS FROM INSECT LIFE
WITH NUMEROUS ILLUSTRATIONS.
“ Things which are little upon the earth, ^
wise.” — Prov. xxx. 24.
PUBLISHED BY THE
AMERICAN TRACT SOCIETY,
28 Cornhill, Boston.
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1863, by
The American Tract Society,
in the Clerk’s Office of the District Court of the District of Massa¬
chusetts.
riverside, Cambridge:
STEREOTYPED AND PRINTED BY H. 0. HOUGHTON.
“ The works of the .Lord are wonderful, sought
out of all them that have pleasure therein.” The
writer of this little volume believes that the study
of Insect Life as here portrayed will lead the
reader to admire that goodness of God which is
manifest in all the works of creation, to recognize
him in all things, to feel that he has made noth¬
ing in vain, and to realize more than ever before
that blessings often exist in the seeming ills of
life. The subjects are treated as fully as the
space will allow; and it is hoped that on every
page the reader will recognize the hand of Him
who “ hath made every thing beautiful in his
time.” De B.
Chestnut Hill, Feb. 1863.
T
CONTENTS.
THE ANT.
CHAPTER I.
PAGE
The Ant a Pattern of Industry. — Different Species of
Ants. — The Worker and its Labors. —Deserters. —
The Queen and her Subjects. — Social Character of
Ants. — Recognition among Ants. — Eggs and young
Ants. — Nurse Ants. — Maternal Affection.— Eyes of
Ants. — Sense of Smell. — Strength. — Ingenuity. —
Idlers. — Perseverance. — Language . . .11
CHAPTER II.
Yellow Ants. — Their Nest3. — Their Ingenuity. — Herd-
keepers.— Plant-Lice and Honey-Dew.— Care of Yel¬
low Ants for their Herds. — The JetKAnt. — Their
Nests.32
CHAPTER III.
Warrior Ants. — Slavery among Ants. — Slave-catching
Expeditions.—Color of the Slaves. — Desperate Bat¬
tles among Ants. — Sin of Slavery . . . .42
CHAPTER IY.
Termites, or White Ants. — The Female. — Destructive¬
ness. — Nests of the White Ants. — Their immense
vi
CONTENTS.
Size. — Lessons of Perseverance. — Conical N ests. —
Their Structure. — Turret Nests. — Their Structure.
— The Soldier Ant. — Spherical and oval Nests. —
Difficulty of driving Ants from Houses. — Difficulty
of overcoming Bad Habits.54
CHAPTER Y.
Diligence of Ants. — Number of Ants.—Nothing made
in vain. — Caution in forming Opinions. — Ants
used for Food. — Enemies of Ants. — The Ground
Hog. — The Great Ant-Eater. — The Little Ant-
Eater. — God’s Love manifested in all His Works . 70
THE FLY.
CHAPTER I.
Always something to be learned. — Different Species of
Flies. — Diptera. — Transformations of the Fly. —
Structure of the Fly. — How a Fly eats and drinks.
— How a Fly walks. — Different Theories. — Our
Ignorance of .familiar Things. —A Fly on the Wing.
— Its rapid Flight.— How does a Fly buzz ?—Where
do Flies go in the Winter?— Wordsworth’s Lines to
a Fly. — Kindness to those in Trouble. — Usefulness
of the Fly. — Blessings in seeming Ills . . .79
CHAPTER II.
The House-fly. — Its Origin. — Its Cleanliness. — A social
Insect. — A Terror to Housekeepers. — Fly Poisons.
— The Crane Fly. — Its singular Egg-placer. — The
Nemestrina. — Its remarkable Beak. — The Blow
Fly. — Its Usefulness. — The May Fly. — Its Trans-
CONTENTS.
formations. — Rennie’s Observations. — Useful Les¬
sons, — The Spanish Fly. — Its Medicinal Qualities.—
Species in this Country. — The Potato Fly. — The
Fire-fly. — Its Beauty; the Poet Southey. — Fire¬
flies in the Tropics. — Early Superstitions. — The
Saw-fly. — Its Saws.— How it lays its Eggs. — The
Dragon Fly. — Its Beauty and Cruelty. — Its Trans¬
formations. — The Resurrection.96
CHAPTER III.
The Hessian Fly. — Origin of its Name. — Its Birth and
Growth. — The Breeze-Flv. — Its Manner of laying
its Eggs —Its Transformations.— The Gad Fly.—
Its Beauty. — Its Effect upon Cattle.— The Zimb.
— A Terror to Man and Beast. — The Foe of the
Sheep. — Gnats and Musquitos. — Their Unpopu¬
larity. — Gnat Dancers. — Early Life of the Gnat. —
Its Egg Boat. — Insects in cold Climates. — In the
Crimea. — At the South. — Musquitos and their
Eggs. — Biyant’s Lines to a Musquito. — Du Chail-
lu. — The Ibolai. — The Iboco. — The Eloway. —
The Tzetze. — The Insect Fly-Carrier. — Plague of
Flies in Egypt, and Lessons to be derived from
it. — God’s Care for his Children, and his Anger
toward his Enemies. —Prayer and its Results . . 123
THE GALL INSECT.
CHAPTER I.
Auger of the Gall Insect. — Depositing of an Egg. —
The young Insect. — Galls. — Where found. — Their
Nature. — Varieties of Form. — Oak-Galls. —Apples
of Sodom. — Galls used for Ink. — Value of Ink. —
CONTENTS.
viii
Care over Mouth and Pen.— Use of the Pen for Good
or Evil. — Religion a governing Principle in Life . 151
CHAPTER H.
Love of Colors. — Ornament. — Superstitious Practice. —
Joseph’s Coat. — Purple. — The Kennes. — Gather¬
ing of Kennes. — The Cochineal. — Accidental Dis¬
covery of Scarlet, Gobelin Tapestries. — Lac. —
Value of the Insect Tribes. -Gratitude to God . 170
THE ANT.
“ Go to the Ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways and be wise.”
CHAPTER I.
The Ant a pattern of industry. — Different species of Ants.
— The worker and its labors. — Deserters. — The Queen
and her subjects. —Social character of Ants.— Recogni¬
tion among Ants.— Eggs and young Ants. — Nurse
Ants. — Maternal affection. — Eyes of Ants, — Sense of
Smell. — Strength. — Ingenuity. — Idlers. — Persever¬
ance. — Language.
Did you ever, after a gentle summer rain,
notice the ant-hills which had sprung up, as if by
magic, in the sandy road or along the foot-path ?
And did you ever stop to think of the industry of
the little insects which made them ? Sometimes,
perhaps, your careless footstep has fallen upon
them, and did you then observe how speedily the
ants came forth to repair the mischief which had
been done?
This insect has been held up as a pattern of
12
LESSONS FROM INSECT LIFE.
industry ever since King Solomon said, “ Go to
the ant, thou sluggard ; consider her ways and be
wise ; ” — and it will be pleasant as well as profit¬
able for us to study its habits. Perhaps you have
been accustomed to look upon ants, annoying
as they sometimes are, with aversion and disgust;
but we shall find so much to admire in their life,
that we shall soon learn to regard them with in¬
terest, nor shall we grudge them the little morsels
they may appropriate from our overflowing stores.
There are many species of ants, from the
harmless ones common among us, to the poisonous
black ants, and destructive termites, or white
ants, of tropical climates. But the habits of
the different species are so similar, that the same
general description will apply to all.
Every community of ants contains three dis-
Male. Female Worker.
tinct sexes : the males, which always have four
wings; the females, much larger than the males,
THE ANT.
13
and having wings only in the pairing season ;
and a third kind, variously called neuters, work¬
ers, or nurse-ants, which are destitute of wings,
at all times.
As their name indicates, the workers perform
the labor of the community. They collect sup¬
plies of food, exploring for this purpose the ad¬
jacent fields, and seizing upon all animal sub¬
stances, living or dead, which they can move;
they construct the dwelling with its curious
rooms, galleries, arches, and pillars; they keep
it in good repair, protect it from storms, and
defend it from enemies; they attend upon the
hatching of the eggs; they feed the young, and
move them, as occasion may require, to different
places; they fight all the battles of the com¬
munity, and provide in various ways for the
comfort and safety of their weaker companions.
Are they not properly named “ workers,” and
are they not the most important members of the
family ?
So among men, the “ worker ” — with hand or
brain — is always the most valuable person.
Idlers are useless, and living upon the labors
14
LESSONS FROM INSECT LIFE.
of others are simply burdens. Be a worker in
the world and not a drone!
The males and females are easily distinguished
by their white glistening wings, and early in the
pairing season they may be seen in great num¬
bers in and about the ant-hills, and mingling with
the wingless workers. There seems to be a sin¬
gular disposition among the males and females
to desert their home, while the workers seem
equally desirous to prevent their escape, and
never yield the contest unless greatly outnum¬
bered. The industrious, laborious ants watch
these truants very closely, posting regular sen¬
tries, and never allowing them to pass beyond the
limits of the colony without a guard. It is not
unusual to see three or four sentries dragging
back some deserter by the wings. Thus with
all the daily house-work of the family, the out¬
door labor, — the building, protecting, fighting,
and sentry duty, the little workers have cer¬
tainly cares enough.
They are also very attentive to the queen or
queens, for there are often several of these royal
personages in one community. The monarch
THE ANT.
15
seems to have no authority; yet she is treated
with the greatest respect and kindness. Where-
ever a queen goes, the ants crowd around her,
offer her food, carefully brush her dress, assist
her over hard places, and through all narrow
passages.
Did any of the young readers of this book ever
make a little “saddle,” as children call it, by
crossing hands with a playmate, and on the seat
thus formed did they ever carry a third person
with ease and safety? The ants do something
very similar to this. They join their mandibles,
or projecting jaws together, thus making a very
comfortable seat, and carry the queen from place
to place with great care and tenderness, and per¬
haps with pride. And perchance, too, the queen,
as she securely rides in this ingenious carriage,
thanks her attendants for their kindness. All
deeds of affection, all evidences of good-will,
should call forth gratitude, and we should never
receive a favor without feeling grateful for it.
Most of all, should our hearts rise in thankfulness
to our Heavenly Father who is good to all, and
whose tender mercies are over all his works.
16
LESSONS FROM INSECT LIFE.
If the queen makes a journey through the
apartments of the dwelling, the workers leave
their occupation and manifest great joy at seeing
her; they pat her upon the head and breast, and
standing upon their hind legs, and laying hold
upon each other’s shoulders with their fore feet,
they form a circle around their monarch, and
dance in high glee. What can be more amusing
than the sight of ants joining hands and sporting
around their queen! Surely the little insects
must have some idea of pleasure.
The peculiar office of the queen is to lay eggs.
These are picked up by the workers as soon as
they are deposited, and carried to a place of
safety. The eggs of ants, unlike those of other
insects, are not fastened to any one spot, but are
scattered about in parcels of six or eight, loosely
attached to each other. During the hatching sea¬
son, the great work of the female and nurse-ant is
moving the eggs to places best suited for this pur¬
pose, the little insects seeming to know the precise
amount of heat necessary for the accomplish¬
ment of the end in view. If the reader has
ever watched an ant-hill in the summer time,
THE ANT.
17
he has seen the inmates hard at work in swarms,
carrying to and fro numerous white masses,
which seemed altogether too large for them to
bear. These are the eggs, which the ants move
with great care, exposing them during the day
to the warmth of the sun, and taking them
at night beyond the effects of cold and damp¬
ness. From this habit arose the mistaken idea
that the ants were laying up stores of food for
winter use. Ants are torpid during the cold
weather, and consequently they then require
no food of any kind.
After the eggs are hatched, the young ants are
tended with even greater care, as they are more
susceptible to injury from heat than the eggs.
While young, like all children, these grubs are
hungry beings, and not only, eat food sufficient for
their growth, but for the formation of the silken
cocoon which they afterward spin. They are fed
by the nurse-ant, or by the female, when she is
destitute of servants, with a liquid food secreted
in the stomach of the parent.
If the mother is alone with her family, she is
obliged to labor very hard to provide food for the
2
18 LESSONS FROM INSECT LIFE.
twenty hungry mouths that are dependent upon
her; but with genuine love for her children, she,
like our own mothers, works early and late to
supply the wants of the little ones, and thinks no
sacrifice too great for their good.
As soon as the grubs have attained their full
growth, they spin cocoons of a brownish white
color, which resemble grains of barley, and for
centuries were mistaken for them ; as we have
just seen the eggs were once thought to be the
stores of winter food. These cocoons are treated
in the same way as were the eggs, being carefully
moved about from place to place that they may
have the proper amount of heat. When the
time arrives for the second birth of the insect,
the nurse-ants open the cocoons and release the
little prisoner, who comes forth, — male, female,
or worker, as the case may be. What deter¬
mines the kind of ant is a mystery beyond our
knowledge; — in this the ants are wiser than
we.
The nurse-ants evidently know that the perfect
insect is ready to appear, but too weak to effect
its escape alone. How they ascertain this, we
t
THE ANT.
19
can not tell. We only know that God provides
for all his creatures, giving them wisdom for
every circumstance of life, and he never neglects
the work of his own hands. If he has endowed
the ant, which is comparatively so insignificant an
animal, with such wonderful instincts, what must
be the value of the soul of man !
When the time approaches for the little brood
to come forth, all is bustle and excitement in the
nest. Three or four ants mount upon one cocoon,
and begin to open it where the head of the infant
lies, and apparently with great caution. The first
effort is to thin that part by pulling off a few
threads. Several small openings are then made,
next they cut the threads one by one, very
patiently, until, with the utmost gentleness, a
hole is made through which the prisoner escapes.
But the wings and limbs of the young ant are
still bound by silken cords. The workers how¬
ever soon cut these, carefully releasing every
member from its bondage, and giving to the in¬
sect full freedom of life.
Now commence the labors of the nursery.
For several days the workers follow and watch
20
LESSONS FROM INSECT LIFE.
the young ants everywhere, showing them the
paths and windings of the dwelling, and cherishing
them with the greatest care. They also perform
the difficult task of stretching the wings of the
males and the females, which would otherwise
remain folded up. They do this so carefully as
not to injure in the least these frail and delicate
organs. When the young ants take their first
flight, the workers accompany them to the sum¬
mit of the highest herbs, still exhibiting the ten-
derest solicitude. Sometimes they endeavor to
retain them, feeding them for the last time and
caressing them. At last the little insects rise
into the air and disappear, and the workers lose
for ever the sight of those over whom they have
watched so tenderly. The males die very soon
after reaching maturity. They are helpless, ten¬
der creatures, compared with the other members
of the family, and the first rough wind or storm
kills them.
It may be asked what becomes of the mother
of the young ants, and-why does the care of the
infants devolve upon others rather than her ?
To this it may be answered that like every thing
THE AST.
21
else in God’s creation, the economy of the ant-
community is perfect of its kind. God’s law is
over all things, his unity of design is every-where
manifest; but the diversity of details is marvell¬
ous. There are innumerable matters which are
unintelligible to us, and the only answer we can
ever obtain this side of heaven is, that God so
made them. If the mother-ant seems to neglect
her young, all we can say is that such is the
economy of the ant-family. We see that if this
is a neglect on the part of the parent, it is wisely
ordered that the workers faithfully perform all
that is necessary to supply the deficiency. But
it is not reasonable to suppose that the mothers
are wanting in affection. When a colony is
founded, they have enough to do to supply it
with eggs for future males, females, and workers.
These she lays at three different seasons, — and
here is her appropriate sphere. Her work is
faithfully done. Unlike too many human beings,
she betrays no trust: she performs promptly and
well, and at the proper times, whatever is re¬
quired of her. When the nest was first formed
she did all that such a mother could do; and it
22
LESSONS FROM INSECT LIFE.
was only when the workers became sufficiently
numerous to perform their proper tasks, and re¬
lieve her, that she left the young to their charge,
and employed herself in increasing the colony.
When a female first issues from the chrysalis,
she is adorned with two pairs of wings, — one
pair being larger than her body. But when
ready to lay her eggs, she turns and twists her
wings until they finally drop off, and then gives
herself wholly to the work committed to her.
The eyes of ants, like those of most other in¬
sects, when examined under a microscope, are
seen to consist of a great number of hexagonal
or six-sided facets.
On the left, is seen an eye in its natural state,
and on the right, the same sufficiently deprived
of its exterior to show its internal structure. As
the eyes of insects are not movable, these many
facets, each acting as an eye, serve as thousands
of little eyes, looking in all directions, each re¬
flecting distinctly the object before it.
Ants have been discovered entirely destitute
of eyes, or, at least, with no appearance of any.
One species of this description is a dweller in
THE ANT.
23
the forests of Guiana, and is little known.
Another is met with in France, which hides
A compound eye greatly magnified.
itself in dark places during the day, and comes
forth only at night.
The sense of smell in ants is very acute,
guiding them to their food, and enabling them
to follow in the path of their companions. If
the end of one’s finger be passed across their
line of march, so as to brush off the scent which
the preceding ones have left, those that follow
will stop at this place, and proceed irregularly
24
LESSONS FROM INSECT LIFE.
until they have passed over it, when they soon
“strike the trail” again, and proceed on their
way as confidently as before. Sometimes, how¬
ever, they get confused.
A gentleman observed an army of ants stretch¬
ing over the ground for several yards, crowded
through its whole extent with foragers and scouts,
and marching toward a well-peopled ant-city. He
drew his walking-stick across their path several
times, and all were instantly thrown into the
greatest confusion, and wandered about as if
blindfold. He remained some time watching
their movements, but they did not succeed in
forming again into regular line, although most
of them reached their destination by a round¬
about course.
The strength of these little creatures is surpris¬
ing. If the reader will watch any ant-hill, or the
ground around it, he will be astonished to see the
loads the ants will carry or drag, often exceeding
in size many times their own bulk. A gentleman
has in his cabinet an insect, to one of whose legs
a small ant, scarcely a thirteenth of its size, is
fixed by its jaws. The little ant had probably
THE ANT.
25
dared to attack this giant, and refusing to let go
its hold, had starved to death. Two or three
ants have been observed dragging along a young
snake, not dead, which was of the size of a
goose-quill.
Their ingenuity and skill in moving large
bodies is no less remarkable than their strength.
They will di’ag off immense spiders with appar¬
ently the greatest ease. To do this they stretch
out two of the spider’s legs, pulling upon them
with all their might, then they seize another pair
of legs on the other side and do the same, some¬
times turning what must be to them an unwieldy
mass completely round. Oftentimes a single ant
may be seen perched upon the back of the spider,
acting as an engineer, and directing all the move¬
ments. The little insects appear to have learned
the important lesson, never to be in each other’s
way, nor do they seem to expend any needless
exertion in their labors.
Sometimes a lazy ant will attempt to evade its
share of labor and manifest symptoms of indo¬
lence or rebellion. Such an one is quickly de¬
tected and watched by the rest, and if it runs
26
LESSONS FROM INSECT LIFE.
off is pursued, caught, and brought back to its
work. After thus capturing one of these idlers
two or three times, the ants, as if enraged at its
laziness, and determined that each one shall bear
an equal share of the hardships of the commu¬
nity, have been known to kill the idler by cutting
off its head.—If all human idlers were treated in
this way, what destruction of life there w'ould
be!
The perseverance of ants is most remarkable.
They seem determined to complete whatever they
begin, and if their work is destroyed, they quickly
begin again, and never appear to be discouraged
by any accidents or obstacles.
The swampy portions of Paraguay are inhabit¬
ed by a little black ant, whose nests resemble
conical hillocks of earth placed very near each
other, and about three feet high. When a flood
takes place, these insects are said to gather them¬
selves into a circular heap about a foot in diam¬
eter, and ten or twelve inches in depth, and, thus
massed together, they continue to float so long as
the flood lasts. One side of the heap is fastened
to some sprig of grass or piece of wood, and the
THE ANT.
27
ants return to their dwelling when the waters
have subsided. When the ) 7 wish to pass from
one place to another, they may often be seen
formed into a bridge of six or eight inches in
length and an inch in width, and which has no
other support than that of its two ends.
The distinguished naturalist Huber tells us
that ants communicate with each other like bees,
with their antennae, or feelers, and that by the
language thus spoken, or the ideas thus conveyed,
they assist each other in their wants, labors, dan¬
gers, and pleasures. Many facts are recorded
which plainly show this to be true. Some ants
discovered in a gentleman’s house a closet where
preserves were kept, and they constantly visited
it until the supply was exhausted. One of the
insects, in its rambles, must have first found out
this sweet treasure, and then told its companions.
They always went to the closet by the same track,
although they were obliged to pass through two
rooms, nor did the sweeping and cleaning of the
apartments arrest them, or cause them to take a
different road.
Smith, in his “ New Voyages to Guinea,” says
28
LESSONS FROM INSECT LIFE.
that ants “ certainly have some method or other,
whereby they easily make themselves to be un¬
derstood, as I have often experienced in the
following manner: When I have seen two or
three straggling ants upon the hunt, I have killed
a cockroach and thrown it down before them.
As soon as they have found out what it was, they
have sent one away for help, while the others
have stayed and watched the dead body, until he
returned at the head of a large posse; and if
they have not then been able to remove the cock-
roach, another ant has been sent away who has
soon returned with a fresh supply sufficient to
carry off the prey.”
In the “Transactions of the French Academy,”
an account is given of a solitary ant that was
taken from its nest and thrown upon a heap of
corn. It seemed attentively to survey this treas¬
ure, and then hastened back to its former abode,
where it doubtless told the good news of the dis¬
covered food, for an immense host of ants quickly
made its appearance, and commenced carrying
away the corn.
Many instances similar to these might be given,
THE ANT.
29
but we only designed to present sufficient evi¬
dence to show that ants have some method by
which they interchange ideas. With a little play
of the imagination we can think of these insects,
consulting together upon their household mat¬
ters upon plans for the future, and all the sub¬
jects that would naturally arise in their little
family. But can we think of the ants and of
their language without supposing the insects to
have ideas and thoughts, and do we not thus
unconsciously raise them into the scale of intel¬
ligent beings F They have, like us, a world of
their own, beautiful, convenient, and well adapted
to all their wants, and they are endowed with
social capacities, enabling them to live in well-
ordered and happy communities. How easy it is
to give importance and dignity to the least of
God’s creatures!
It may truly be said that the ants of one com¬
munity live very happily together. They evi¬
dently possess a high degree of family affection,
and if any of the number have been absent for
some time, they are welcomed upon their return
with every indication of joy.
30
LESSONS FROM INSECT LIFE.
Huber gives a pleasing illustration of this.
He took some ants wild from the woods and
placed them in a glass hive; but finding them too
numei’ous he allowed some • to escape. These
soon built a nest in the garden. Carrying the
hive into his study, he watched the habits of its
inmates for four months, after which he placed it
in the garden within fifteen paces of the others.
The garden ants immediately recognized their
former associates, caressed them with their an¬
tennae, or feelers, and taking them in their jaws
led them to their own abode!
Like all animals, ants sympathize with each
other in suffering. An eminent naturalist once
cut off the antennae of an ant. He afterwards
observed another ant approach, caress it with
seeming tenderness, and pour a drop of liquid
from its mouth into the wounds. Does not this
resemble human sympathy?
It is equally obvious that they love to promote
each other’s pleasure and comfort. Huber, on
one occasion, increased the heat in a part of a
nest by means of a torch. The ants that hap¬
pened to be near, after enjoying the warmth for a
THE ANT.
31
time, hastened with the news to their companions.
So desirous were they that .others should partake
of the pleasure, that hundreds were seen conduct¬
ing their friends thither.
«We see, then,” he adds, “ that insects which
live in society are in possession of a language;
and, in consequence of enjoying a language in
common with us, although of an inferior degree,
have they not greater importance in our eyes,
and do they not embellish the very spectacle of
the universe?”
CHAPTER II.
Yellow Ants. — Their Nests. — Their Ingenuity. — Herd-
keepers. — Plant-lice and Honey-dew. — Care of Yellow
Ants for their Herds. —The Jet Ant. — Their Nests.
Haying described the ant in its general char¬
acteristics, we will now notice some of the differ¬
ent species, and the habits peculiar to each.
YELLOW ANTS.
This species usually selects some little hole or
depression in the earth, and over it builds its well-
contrived house. The roof is dome-shaped, but
not solid. Within this roof and in the earth be¬
low it are many rooms and passage-ways, skill¬
fully excavated in the solid ground. To support
these apartments, sustain the ceiling, and make
the desired separation of rooms, the little builders
leave portions of the earth standing, which serve
as posts, beams, and rafters. Arched door-ways
are also cut, and small side-rooms made, and in
fact all the convenient arrangements of a well-
THE ANT.
33
contrived house are to be found in these insect
structures. Halls or corridors lead to the open
air, and are carefully closed at night for the
greater security of the household. The cham¬
bers are usually low, yet sufficiently large for all
the necessities of the occupants. In their con¬
struction the insect is guided by an unerring
instinct, and makes no mistakes in providing for
all the wants of its domestic life. The different
rooms are connected by little galleries, which are
always built with the strictest regard to conven¬
ience and use.
If the houses were constructed of the little pel¬
lets of sand in their dry state, they would soon be
seriously damaged, if not wholly destroyed. But
to provide against such calamities, the ants, as
they build, moisten the earth .with rain-water.
The heat of the sun hardens the masonry, and
thus the house is so completely bound together,
so firmly joined in all its parts, that portions may
be taken away without injury to the rest.
This process also secures a safe defense against
the weather. “ I never found,” says Huber,
“ even after long and violent rains, the interior of
3
34
LESSONS FROM INSECT LIFE.
the nest wet to more than a quarter of an inch
from the surface, provided it had not been pre¬
viously out of repair, or deserted by its inhabi¬
tants.”
There is one large chamber, or hall, situated
nearly in the center of the building, much loftier
than the rest, and crossed only by the beams that
support the ceiling. This seems to be the grand
room of the family. All the galleries terminate
here, and it is the gathering place and usual resi¬
dence of the ants. When we recollect their re¬
markably social nature, as described in the pre¬
ceding chapter, it is easy and pleasant to imagine
how they enjoy themselves when assembled in
this large room; and how when their plans are
made, and their little discussions ended, they sep¬
arate, and run off through the many avenues that
lead from it to the other parts of the house.
These ants are very ingenious in adapting
themselves to the circumstances in which they
may be placed, and seem at no loss for expedients
to surmount obstacles. A naturalist recently ob¬
served a nest of one species of green ants built
between the stems of way-side plants, and par-
THE ANT.
35
tially suspended by them over a stream of run¬
ning water. This singular nest is represented in
the engraving, and is a striking instance of the
ingenuity of the little insects.
Singular Nest of a Yellow Ant.
ANT HERD-KEEPERS.
Perhaps the reader smiles as he sees this
heading ; but we have a marvelous fact to de-
36 LESSONS FROM INSECT LIFE.
scribe under it, and one in which the student
will not fail to be interested.
Various kinds of ants keep and feed certain
insects as we keep cows, for the sake of obtaining
from them a sweet and nourishing liquid, which
may be called milk ; and we find the yellow ant
to be the most extensive cow-keeper of all. This
is a singular statement, but naturalists have
shown it to be true in all respects.
However indifferent you may be to the minu¬
tiae of Nature, have you not often, when about to
pick a rose-bud, or a geranium leaf, or a sprig of
honeysuckle, almost shuddered to find upon it
either a green mass of moving life, or leaves
turned black to the eye, or clammy to the touch ?
Or perhaps you have turned up a fresh-looking
leaf, and seen upon the under side numerous
green insects. These are called Aphides, or
Plant-lice. Every one who is familiar with
flowers knows too well this destructive creature.
But to destroy is not its only office : the insect is
a producer of food.
Most of the readers have heard of honey-dew,
and know that it is a sweet, clammy substance
THE ANT.
37
found on the leaves of various trees and plants.
Opinions have differed as to the real nature of
this poison to the plant, but it is now ascertained
that like the honey of bees, it is extracted with
the sap, secreted and then thrown out by the
aphides in a state of the greatest purity. Be¬
sides this profusion of sweets which they scatter
around them, they always keep a good supply in
their bodies, which resemble little green jars.
These aphides, or plant-lice, are the “ cows,”
and the honey-dew safely preserved in the green
bottles, is the “ milk ” referred to.
We have ah'eady seen that the ant lays by no
food for winter’s use, as the insect requires none
during the long, cold months. But they have a
provident instinct for the future, which leads
them to keeping and tending their herds of
aphides. They collect the eggs of the plant-
lice, and deposit them in the warmest parts of
their nests, and guard them with the greatest
care, that they may hatch early, and so the sup¬
ply of milk be abundant in the spring. There
are a few ants, however, that seem to be ignorant
of the process of hatching the eggs, but the econ-
38
LESSONS FROM INSECT LIFE.
omy of the nest prevents any lack of food. Some
of the ants find the “ cows ” in their hiding-places,
milk them, and returning home, distribute the
sweet nourishment among their companions.
The herds of the yellow ant are large and well
kept. They are pastured on the branches .and
leaves of neighboring shrubs and plants, and are
carefully guarded from intrusion. Sometimes a
wall of clay is built around the stem of the plant
for their protection. It is a singular fact, and
may almost be said to approach human wisdom,
that these ants often keep a few aphides close at
home, or even under their own roof, as if for con¬
venience, feeding them from the provisions of the
house, or allowing them to graze upon the herb¬
age near by.
The process of “ milking ” is rather peculiar :
The ant touches the “ cow ” gently with its feel¬
ers, first upon one side, and then upon the other,
and the well-fed insect immediately gives out two
drops of the clear, sweet fluid already described
as honey-dew, and which is sufficient for the
wants of the ant. No farmer can be more care¬
ful of his flocks, and more attentive to their
THE ANT.
39
necessities and comforts, than the ants of these
little cows, and their whole treatment is a perfect
picture of similar scenes in country life.
THE JET ANT.
This ant is of a fine, shining black color, and
its colonies settle in the trunks of decaying oaks
or willows. They always work in the interior of
trees, or of their roots, and seem very desirous to
be screened from observation. Their only tools
are their jaws, and with these they chisel out hori¬
zontal galleries, following the circular direction
of the layers of wood. These galleries are sepa¬
rated by extremely thin partitions, and connected
by a few oval doors. Separate chambers open
from the passage-ways. Nicely cut pillars, at
first arched at both ends, and then chiseled into
regular forms, support the ceilings, and often
stand in long rows, making a beautiful colonnade.
This intricate net-work of little rooms and gal¬
leries is extended to several stories. The floors
are very uneven, owing, perhaps, to the varying
texture of the wood. The grooves, or depressions
in the floors, however, are turned by the ants to
40
LESSONS FROM INSECT LIFE.
great advantage, as they retain the larvse in
safety.
Galleries of the Jet Ants.
The houses .which these ants build in the roots
of trees are much more irregular than those
cut out of the trunk. But if not constructed so
systematically, they are much more delicate.
Fragments of houses made in the roots of trees,
or in that part of the trunk of the tree nearest the
roots, have been seen eight or ten inches in
length, and of equal hight, containing a number
of apartments, with partitions as thin as paper.
Near the entrance of these, wrought out with
great care, are openings of considerable size.
But in the place of chambers and extensive gal¬
leries, the layers of the wood are hewn in rows of
little arches, allowing to the ants free passage in
THE ANT.
41
every direction. These may be regarded as the
gates, or entrances to the various dwellings.
It is a singular circumstance in the abodes of
these ants, that all the wood which they carve is
tinged of a black color, as if it had been smoked.
T hi s certainly does not add to the beauty of their
streets, which look as dark and solemn as the old
and narrow lanes of a city. The cause of this
smoky tint has not been ascertained, although
naturalists have tried to investigate it. It is
peculiar to the excavations of the Jet Ant.
CHAPTER III.
Warrior Ants. — Slavery among Ants.— Slave-catching Ex¬
peditions. — Color of the Slaves. — Desperate Battles
among Ants. — Sin of Slavery.
WARRIOR ANTS.
There are several kinds of warlike ants, espe¬
cially the wood ant, the Amazon, or warrior ant,
and the sanguinary ant. All these sally out on
hostile excursions for the purpose of capturing
and bringing home to their own colonies the eggs
and cocoons of other tribes, generally of the dark-
colored or dusky ant.
It must strike the reader as very singular that
these ants are genuine slave-owners, and have a
system of slavery similar to that practised among
human beings. But the little slave-holders are
not so cruel as human masters. No sound of the
whip is ever heard in their country; no punish¬
ments are inflicted; the slaves live as well as
their masters, and sometimes seem to take the
whole authority into their own hands.
THE ANT.
43
The little slaves are exceedingly industrious.
No maids-of-all-work, — for the slaves are all
females, — can excel them in universal useful¬
ness. The owners are principally females, also,
and, without exception,' are soldiers, — Amazons.
And as these lady-warriors do nothing, the slaves
must, of course, do everything. They are the
builders, the porters, the scavengers, and the
nurses. They are even the feeders of the grown¬
up community, which consists of the lady-soldiers,
a few idle gentlemen, and two or three princesses.
The slave population being thus necessary for
the comfort and even existence of the community,
it is most important to keep their number full.
Thus we find a complete system of slave-traffic,
or slave-capture, for the ants do not purchase, but
steal their slaves. The soldiers make excursions
to some neighboring ant-city, attack and conquer
the inhabitants, and return, each bringing an
infant captive.
Upon its arrival at the city, the young slave is
given in charge to a nurse, herself a slave, and
who, although ignorant that the little stranger is
united to her by the ties of country, and perhaps
44
LESSONS FROM INSECT LIFE.
of family, fondles it, and feeds it, and trains it for
its future duties.
Naturalists describe the slave-catching expedi¬
tions of ants with great minuteness. Huber, after
speaking of the spirited combats between different
species, describes the war-parties sent out to steal
the infants from the settlements of the formica
fusca , or dusky ant, and says, — “ Many curious
circumstances mark these expeditions. There is
reason to believe that these ants first send out
spies, who describe the route to be taken. They
push each other with the head or jaws, or play
with the antennas or feelers, perhaps to arouse to
effort, or tell what is soon to be done.
“They start about five o’clock in a warm sum¬
mer afternoon, eight or ten ants being usually in
the advance; but no sooner do they pass beyond
the nest, than they move back, wheel round in a
semicircle, and mix with the main body, while
others succeed to their station. All in their turn
pursue the same course; and after passing through
the grass for about thirty feet, they disperse, and
like dogs on the scent, explore the ground with
their antennae.
THE ANT.
45
« Soon they discover the colony of which they
are in search. Its sentinels dart upon them with
the utmost fury; crowds rush forth from their
various avenues; but the besiegers compel them to
retreat, and by breaching the walls, or entering the
gates, advance into the city. In a few minutes
they appear again, each one carrying in its mouth
a caterpillar, or a chrysalis, and return home the
way they came.”
Facts like these present so many points of
resemblance to similar scenes enacted by human
beings, that we will describe a slave-catching ex¬
pedition, speaking of the ants as if they were real
warriors and genuine slave-catchers. Although,
in order to give animation to the description, im¬
agination will supply many of the details, still
care will be taken that nothing is exaggerated or
misstated; and the reader will find that in the
narrative, many of the habits of the ant are care¬
fully noticed, and will need no repetition else¬
where. We have borrowed, to some extent, the
language of another writer, in this description.
46
LESSONS FROM INSECT LIFE.
A SLAVE-CATCHING EXPEDITION.
It was toward the close of a fine summer day,
that the army of the Rufians (formica rufa),
consisting of a large body of infantry, was seen
issuing from the gates of their capital. Their
march soon brought them to a dry, sandy plain,
strewn with rocky fragments, through which they
pursued their way in winding but unbroken files,
their polished brown corselets glistening like
sparks of fire in the glow of the declining sun.
Marching with great rapidity, they soon crossed
this desert-like tract without loss or accident, — a
cause for great rejoicing, considering the many
dangers to which their exposed route had sub¬
jected them. For what appeared to them merely
a rock-strewn plain, was in fact a public road,
used by gigantic creatures who considered them¬
selves the lords of the land, and had one of these
passed this way during the march of the Rufians,
he would have crushed from existence whole divis¬
ions of their army by a single footfall. But they
escaped these and other perils, and at last arrived
at what we should call a hedge, or thicket, but
THE ANT.
47
which, to them, was a mighty forest. It required
no little skill to cross this barrier, and re-form
their army upon the other side; but it was done
in the most creditable manner, which is the more
surprising, as they seemed to be destitute of any
leaders or officers.
Leaving the dense forests in their rear, they
pressed forward into a country which presented
obstacles even greater than those already over¬
come. Imagine a body of infantry compelled to
force its way through a thick growth of wood,
composed of trees so large that the smallest of
them was more than three times the size of any
of their bodies; so high that they could scarcely
see the tops, and all these thickly set with gigan¬
tic leaf-blades waving and clashing above their
heads, or lying across the path in great confu¬
sion, obliging the soldiers to climb over, or creep
under them. Imagine the difficulties of such a
march to a single individual, and then think of
the hundred-fold trouble and danger to an army
compelled to keep together and proceed in a
definite course.
But the army marched bravely on through the
48
LESSONS FROM INSECT LIFE.
unmown field, for what seemed trees to them was
only tall grass, and when night came on, they lay
down and rested for the morning’s labor.
They had not gone far the next day, before
they saw the dome of the city of Fusca (formiva
fusca, or the brown ant) which they were to
attack. All was now animation throughout the
ranks. Their march was hastened in order to
surprise the city, if possible, while some of the
bravest and most ardent rushed forward to secure
the enemy’s sentinels, who were stationed at each
of the avenues leading to the city.
These guards, who immediately gave notice of
the approaching army, were, like their assail¬
ants, soldiers, only of a much more peaceable dis¬
position,— never fighting except in self-defence.
Among the Fuscans, slavery does not exist; and
their working females, who constitute the greater
proportion of the population, are not only the sole
defenders of the community, but also perform all
those duties which the Rufians require of their
Blaves.
When the Fuscans heard fi’om their sentinels
that an enemy was near at hand, they were busy
THE ANT.
49
about their usual duties. Some had just com¬
menced their day’s work at building, some were
cleaning the streets, some were feeding the cattle
and milking, some waiting on the nobles of the
city, some giving breakfast to the children in the
nurseries, and thus in one way and another, the
whole city was intent upon its regular work.
Although thus taken by surprise, the Fuscans,
if not fore-warned, were fore-armed. Like the
ten knights spoken of by the poet, who
— u quitted not their harness bright,
Neither by day, nor yet by night,”
they ate, drank, worked, and nursed their young,
in full armor. They never lay aside their arms,
and always carry their ammunition with them.
Having, therefore, no belts to buckle, no guns to
load, no horses to saddle, their troops soon col¬
lected and issued forth in various divisions from
the city gates. Few remained behind, except the
cowardly and the helpless. There were the idle
men of the city, who always hung about the court,
and never did any work for the common good, —
the numerous infant families which claimed tlie
50
LESSONS FROM INSECT LIFE.
queens for mothers, and the queens themselves
with several princesses. Beside these there were
a few who were compelled to stay in the nurser¬
ies, and the royal body-guard, — a little Amazon¬
ian band as brave and faithful as the old Swiss
Guard of the unhappy King of France.
A fierce battle rages. The Fuscans are drawn
up in front of their city, fighting for their queens,
their lives, and the liberty of the infant popula¬
tion. Their assailants are fighting for glory, and
for plunder, especially to seize the infant Fuscans
and carry them into slavery. The Fuscans excel
in numbers, but are inferior to their enemies, in
size, discipline, and strength. The battle-field, an
area of about four feet square, is covered with
the dead and dying. Single-handed fights by
thousands are going on, and the duelists, wholly
unmindful of all else, and having exhausted their
ammunition, grapple in close contest, and hold fast
in savage grip until a third party comes and turns
the balance. In another part of the field, may
be seen, perhaps, a dozen combatants of either
party, all firmly linked in a living chain, and
fighting until death ends the scene.
THE ANT.
51
A Fuscan has been known to leap upon a
Rufian, and take such firm hold with her jaws
that although the Rufian tore his antagonist
asunder, the head and upper portion of the body
still clung to him, and he must wear this hideous
ornament until death. So terrible is the hold
these Fuscans take upon their enemies.
But how goes the day ? How turns the tide
of battle ? Shall the infant Fuscan females grow
up to be maids of all work at home, or slaves of
all work in a foreign land? At last the Fuscans
run ! They can not sustain themselves against
the superior skill and strength of their assailants,
and having fought nobly, and until they see that
the Rufians are making preparations to attack the
city itself, they retreat to the dome-covered cita¬
del, there to make a last stand. Reaching the
roof, the shattered remnant of the army rapidly
defile downward through the descending streets.
But the enemy follow close ; and hardly have the
worn-out Fuscans gained the inside of the citadel
before the Rufians take possession of the prin¬
cipal entrances, and sappers and nfners open
breaches in the masonry of its dome, and soon
52
LESSONS FROM INSECT LIFE.
the whole invading force rushes into the devoted
city.
The queens, shut up within their palaces, are
defended by their faithful body-guard, and al¬
though the mothers of the infant brood, they
make no effort for their safety. But the loving
foster-mothers, at once the tender nurses and the
brave defenders, still fight for the little ones.
Their deeds of heroism would honor human be¬
ings. Wholly forgetful of self, they think only
of protecting the Fuscan babes. A Rufian en¬
ters a room where ten of the little ones are com¬
mitted to the care of one nurse. Upon her the
enemy rushes, bears her to the ground, and cut¬
ting off her lower limbs, snatches up two of the
infants and retreats. But life and affection are
still strong within the dismembered body of the
nurse. Unmindful of her own agony, she slowly
hides the little ones still left, and when the last
one is safely concealed, as she thinks, she falls
and dies.
Triumphant is the homeward march of the
Rufians, each soldier leading a captive. Regu¬
lar order is neglected, and they reach their city
THE ANT.
53
by different routes and in straggling parties.
TVhen they approach their homes, the slave sen¬
tinels give joyful notice of their return, and the
slave nurses receive the little captives into their
charge.
Thus ends the slave-catching expedition of the
ants.
The reader will not fail to have noticed the re¬
markable coincidences between the habits of the
ants in respect to slavery, and of men ; a coin¬
cidence extending even to the color of the un¬
happy victims, — for it is only a dark or near¬
ly black insect that is thus reduced to bondage.
But this practice is much more becoming this
irrational insect than he whom God has made in
his own image. Let no one forget that he
“ hath made of one blood all nations of men ; ”
that he has given to all immortal souls, and that
Christ came into the world to save sinners of
whatever color. Thousands of pious hearts have
throbbed beneath a dark skin, and many a Chris¬
tian slave will sit down at the right hand of God
while the white master will receive the punish¬
ment due to him who has wickedly abused a
fellow-being.
CHAPTER IV.
Termites, or White Ants. — The Female. — Destructiveness.
— Nests of the White Ants. — Their immense size.—
Lessons of perseverance. — Conical nests. — Their struc¬
ture. — Turret nests. — Their structure. — The Soldier
Ant. — Spherical and oval nests. — Difficulty of driving
Ants from houses. — Difficulty of overcoming bad habits.
TERMITES.
Travelers in tropical climates describe many
species of ants, some of which are so terrible to
man, and even to the beasts of the forests, from
their venomous bites, fierce temper, and voracity,
that their path is freely abandoned to them, and
they are avoided in every possible way. Du
Chaillu, in his explorations in equatorial Africa,
met with ten different species of this description.
Of these the termites, or white ants, present the
most interesting characteristics. Strictly speak¬
ing, termites are not ants, but as they are popu¬
larly so called, and in their habits so closely re¬
semble the little insect we have been considering,
THE ANT.
55
we shall, in common with most writers, speak of
them as such.
As we have noticed in other species, the fe¬
male is the most important member of the
family. No sooner is a colony established, than
she supplies it with a large population. Her size
increases until she becomes many hundred, or
even thousands of times, larger than her subjects,
and she often lays eggs at the rate of sixty in a
The Female of the White Ant.
minute, or more than eighty thousand in twenty-
four hours.
While the female is thus busily engaged, her
chamber is a scene of great activity. Crowds
of attendants or servants are passing to and fro,
taking the eggs and carefully transporting them
to their proper places in the nurseries. Food is
furnished to the young brood until they can pro¬
cure it themselves, and the nursing and training
56
LESSORS FROM INSECT LIFE.
id conducted in much the same manner as has
been described in previous chapters.
Few, if any, insects are so destructive as the
termites. When they once gain possession of
buildings, nothing but glass or metal can escape
their ravages. They devour every thing that
comes in their way, — but wood is their favorite
• food. Sometimes they will enter a house in so
great numbers that every article in a spacious
apartment will be destroyed in a single night.
They leave the exterior unmolested, but within
it is so thoroughly sapped and mined that it is
nothing but a shell, ready at a touch to crumble
into dust. The termites love darkness, and pre¬
fer to work screened from observation ; hence,
they seldom attack the outside of solid substances
until they have first concealed it and all their
operations with a coating of clay.
A single instance will serve to illustrate the
destructive nature of these insects. A surveyor,
having returned from a journey, left his trunk
on a table in his room. The next morning, not
only did he find all his clothes devoured, but
his papers also were destroyed, not a piece half
THE ANT.
57
an inch square being left. A piece of silver
coin that was in the trunk had a number of
black spots upon it, caused by something so cor¬
rosive that they could not be removed even by
sand. The black lead of his pencils was also
consumed.
The termites are not more than a quarter of
an inch in hight, but they erect houses of such
magnitude, and so perfectly adapted to all their
wants, that we are filled with wonder.* The
structures of wasps and bees, and more especially
of the wood-ants already described, when placed
in comparison with the size of the builders, equal
in magnitude our largest cities compared with the
stature of man. But when we look at the build¬
ings erected by the termites, the homes of other
insects sink into insignificance.
Kirby says, ‘‘ They far exceed the most boasted
works and structures of man. For did these
creatures equal him in size, retaining their usual
instincts and sagacity, their buildings would soar
to the astonishing hight of more than half a mile,
and their tunnels would expand to a magnificent
* See Frontispiece.
58
LESSONS FROM INSECT LIFE.
cylinder of more than three hundred feet in di¬
ameter. Before these the pyramids of Egypt
and the aqueducts of Rome would lose all their
celebrity and dwindle into nothingness.”
Dr. Livingston, the celebrated traveler in Af¬
rica, in speaking of a particular section of that
country, says, — “It abounds in ant-hills. In the
open parts they are studded over the surface
exactly as hay-cocks are in harvest. In the
woods they are as large as round hay-stacks,
forty or fifty feet in diameter at the base, and at
least twenty feet high. They are more fertile
than the rest of the land, and here they are the
chief garden ground for maize, pumpkins, and
tobacco.” In another place he speaks of seeing
the hills of the white ants thirty feet high, “and
of a base so broad that trees grow on them.”
Barth, another traveler in Africa, mentions ant¬
hills two hundred feet in circumference at the
base. Indeed so immense are the structures of
these ants that early writers supposed they must
be the work of large animals; and so they tell us
of monstrous ants in India as large as foxes!
A collection of these ant-hills bears no faint
THE ANT.
59
resemblance, as the reader can readily imagine,
to an Indian or African village, and they are in
fact often mistaken in the distance for the huts of
the natives. Their construction is curious, and
shows the wonderful skill of the architects.
Two or three towers or posts of clay, about a
foot in hight and shaped like a sugar-loaf are
first raised. These rapidly increase in number
and hight. They are broad at the base, at the
top joined together with a dome-shaped roof, and
surrounded with a thick outer wall of clay. The
fertility of the earth, as Dr. Livingston remarks,
seems to be greatly increased by being worked
over by the ants in the process of building, and
the mound is soon covered with a fine growth of
grass, and then has a strong resemblance to the
heaps of hay in a mowing field. The inner
towers, with the exception of the tops, which pro¬
ject from different parts of it, like pinnacles, are
then removed, and the clay worked over again
in various ways.
The ants occupy only the lower parts of the
building. The dome-shaped roof, which is very
strong and solid, serves as a defense from the
60
LESSONS FROM INSECT LIFE.
weather and the attacks of enemies, and also to
secure the warmth and moisture necessary for
hatching the eggs and nourishing the young.
So strong are these roofs that wild animals
mount them and stand as sentinels on guard while
the herd is feeding below. Travelers too, on the
sea-coast, often use them as “ look-outs ” in watch¬
ing for vessels.
In the center of the building is the royal cham¬
ber. This is an arched vault, at first not more
than an inch long, but is enlarged in size as the
queen grows to the length of eight inches or
more. Within this room the queen always dwells,
as the entrance is too small to allow her to leave.
Adjoining this chamber, and entirely surrounding
it, are what are called the royal apartments.
These are arched rooms of different shapes and
sizes, opening into each other, or connected by
passage-ways, and are usually occupied by many
thousand soldiers and attendants in waiting upon
the queen. Opening from these apartments are
the nurseries, filled with eggs, and the young.
At first these are placed close by the royal cham¬
ber, but when the queen requires a larger room,
THE ANT.
61
and more attendants, they are taken to pieces and
rebuilt at a greater distance, and increased in
number and size. Their construction is peculiar ;
they are built of particles of wood apparently
joined together by gum, or some sticky matter.
A group of these chambers, each not more than
half an inch wide, is enclosed by an apartment of
clay into which they open. Other rooms, or mag¬
azines, always well stored with provisions, are
intermixed with the nurseries. These are some¬
times separated by empty chambers and galleries,
and often communicate with each other either
directly or by little passages, and they extend on
all sides to the outer wall of the building, and
almost to the top of it. They are, however, con¬
fined to the sides of the lower part of the nest,
leaving an open area under the dome. A flattish
roof covers the top, and the area, which is a little
above the royal chamber, has another, also water¬
proof, and so made as to let any rain that may
chance to get in run off into the passages under¬
ground. Some of these are more than a foot in
diameter, perfectly cylindrical, and lined with the
same kind of clay of which the hive is composed.
62
LESSONS FROM INSECT LIFE.
They slope to the depth of three or four feet, and
then, branching out on all sides, are carried un¬
derground, near the surface, to a great distance.
These are the great thoroughfares for the ants,
through which they carry their clay, wood, water,
or provisions. They have a spiral and gradual
ascent, because it would be difficult for these
creatures to ascend a perpendicular. In some
parts a flat pathway, half an inch wide, is often
made to wind gradually, like a road cut out of
the side of a mountain, by which they can easily
travel, when otherwise it would be impossible.
There is another display of ingenuity to
shorten labor. A kind of bridge, of one large
arch, springs from the floor to the upper apart¬
ments, answering the purpose of a flight of stairs.
Thus the journey required for carrying the eggs
from the royal chamber to the upper nurseries
is very much shortened. In some cases this
would be four or five feet in a straight line, and
much more if carried along the winding passage¬
ways which lead to the different chambers.
An examination of an ant-hill disclosed one of
these bridges, half an inch in width, a quarter
THE ANT.
63
of an inch thick, and three inches in length.
With the skill of true architects this bridge was
strengthened by a well-built arch. There was
also a hollow or groove the whole length of the
upper surface, which was made for the greater
safety of the little passengers, or had been worn
by constant travel.
There is another species of white ant which
Turret-nests of White Ants.
erects a very curious dwelling. It is similar in
shape to a mushroom, being a round turret or
64
LESSONS FROM INSECT LIFE.
tower of clay about three feet high, and sur¬
mounted by a conical roof which projects a few
inches over the sides of the upright part like
the eaves of house.
The ants never enlarge or alter one of these
turrets after it is completed. If too small for
the family, they build another a few inches dis¬
tant. Sometimes five or six of these dwellings
may be seen in a group. They are so strongly
and compactly made that they will sooner tear
up the earth upon which they are built than
break in the middle. But if, by any accident,
one should become broken, the ants do not aban¬
don it, but use the overturned tower as the base
for a new structure.
The interior of these singular houses is divided
into a great number of irregularly shaped cells,
to each of which there are at least two en¬
trances, but we find none of the intricate gal¬
leries, arches, and passage-ways, that are so
remarkable in other species.
While describing the white ants, we must not
forget the “ soldiers.” Is it not singular that
ants should keep a standing army similar to the
THE ANT.
65
armies maintained for the support of human
governments? These soldier-ants compose such
a force, and their duties are such as are required
of men in military service. They keep guard
over the royal cell, and over those laborers who
are too busily engaged to attend to their per¬
sonal safety. They also defend the city, and
are always on the alert for the approach of ene¬
mies.
The Soldier-Ant
If the citadel is threatened with an attack
from some hostile tribe, the alarm is quickly
spread, and the whole community is soon en¬
gaged in self-defense. If the assailants make a
breach in the outer walls, the laborers are ex¬
posed to full view and to imminent danger; but
66
LESSONS FROM INSECT LIFE.
as they can not fight, they at once retire within
the inner walls, and give the alarm to their com¬
panions. A few soldiers carefully reconnoiter
the field, evidently attempting to ascertain the
numbers and position of the attacking party.
Having determined upon the force necessary to
resist the assault, or to repair damages already
done, they return to the inner part of the citadel
for a moment, and quickly appear with their
comrades. The alarm soon becomes general;
the little soldiers appear greatly enraged, and
take vengeance upon every unfortunate enemy
that comes within their reach. It is supposed
by some writers that they are blind, and many
of their actions indicate that such is the fact.
They move their heads about very rapidly as if
anxious to seize some enemy, and stretch out
their long, pointed jaws to the utmost, ready to
fasten upon the first unfortunate foe that comes
near. So fiercely do they seize upon their an¬
tagonists that they often part with their life
before relinquishing their hold. Sometimes a
stick has been held out to one of these spirited
soldiers, and he has fastened upon it so firmly
THE ANT.
67
that the jaws could not be disengaged without
killing the insect.
As soon as peace and quiet are restored, the
soldiers retire. Their place is then filled by
laborers who crowd the breach, each carrying
in her mouth a load of mortar half as large as
her body. This is properly placed, and the little
worker hastens back for more. An observer
says, —
“Not the tenth part of an inch is left with¬
out laborers working upon it at the same mo¬
ment ; crowds are hurrying to and fro; yet,
amid all this activity, we observed the greatest
order. No one impeded another, but each
seemed to thread the mazes of the multitude
without trouble or inconvenience.”
Meanwhile, the soldiers act as sentinels, walk¬
ing in and out of the opening, with closed jaws
and determined manner. At short intervals of
a minute or two, a soldier makes a peculiar
noise by lifting up his head and striking his
jaws against the wall of the dwelling, and im¬
mediately all the laborers, appearing to regard
it as a signal for greater diligence or dispatch,
68
LESSONS FROM INSECT LIFE.
answer by a loud hiss and by prompt obedi¬
ence.
There is another species of white ant which
builds a spherical or oval nest on the exterior
of trees, sometimes at a hight of seventy cr
eighty feet from the ground, and varying from
the size of a hat to that of a barrel. Theee
nests are built of small bits or gnawings of wood
kneaded into a paste with a glue, probably se¬
creted by the ants in a manner similar to that
in which bees secrete their wax. The ants at¬
tach these nests very firmly to the trees, aad
the wildest tornadoes fail to shake them oft'.
Sometimes this species, instead of selecting the
bough of a tree, build their nests in the roof or
walls of a house, and unless discovered in season
cause great trouble. It is much easier to pre¬
vent their entrance than to expel them after
they have once gained a foothold.
Let us not pass over this fact without finding
a useful lesson. It is much easier to abstain
from bad habits than to get rid of them when
once formed. Solomon understood this principle
when he said, “ leave off contention before it be
THE ANT.
69
meddled with.” Applying this rule of action to
every-day life, we should shun all that is evil,
and take care that sin finds no lodging-place in
our hearts. But as sin is always present with
us, our constant prayer should be, “ Create in
me a clean heart, 0 God, and renew a right
spirit within me.”
t
CHAPTER V.
Diligence of Ants. — Number of Ants_Nothing made in
rain. — Caution in forming opinions. — Ants used for
Food.—Enemies of Ants—The Ground Hog.— The
Great Ant-Eater. — The Little Ant-Eater. — God’s love
manifested in all his works.
Allusion has been made to the diligence of
ants, and the rapidity with which they perform
their work. These traits are exhibited in a
striking manner in the quickness with which
they repair damages made in their dwellings.
A gallery, or passage-way, three or four yards
in length, has been restored in a single night.
If indeed a nest should be divided in halves,
only leaving the royal chamber unharmed,—
thus laying open thousands of apartments, — all
would be closed up with walls of clay by the
next morning. Even if the whole nest should
be demolished, provided the royal family was
left undisturbed, every opening between the
ruins, at which cold or wet could possibly enter,
THE ANT.
71
would be covered, and in an incredibly short
time, considering the size of the little workers,
the building would be raised to nearly its original
dimensions and grandeur.
We often hear and read of inconceivable mul¬
titudes of ants, and perhaps have complained
of them as a useless nuisance. But God makes
nothing in vain, and we may rest satisfied that
he has not created one ant too many. All our
investigations into his works show us his good¬
ness, and reveal new sources of wonder and
gratitude. How often do we see a kind Provi¬
dence, and a father’s hand, in some event which
at first seemed dark and mysterious. Expe¬
rience thus warns us not to distrust God or com¬
plain of Him. A little reflection upon the vast
number of ants, especially in tropical climates,
will convince us that they must be of great use
in consuming matter which otherwise would pro¬
duce disease and death. They thus become pro¬
moters of health, and a blessing, instead of a
nuisance, as they are too apt to be considered.
White ants are often used for food. In some
parts of the East Indies the natives work them
72 LESSONS FROM INSECT LIFE.
up with flour, and make a variety of pastry
which they sell at a low price to the poor. The
Africans, too, parch them over the fire, and con¬
sider them delicious food. A traveler, to whom
the world is indebted for much of its knowledge
of the white ants, says he has eaten them pre¬
pared in this way, and thinks them delicate,
wholesome, and nourishing.
THE ANT.
73
different countries which are the deadly enemies
of ants, but they are all known under the general
name of ant-eaters. Their most remarkable char¬
acteristic is a long and flexible tongue which
serves as a hand for carrying food to the mouth.
When protruded to its fullest extent, it has some
resemblance to a large red earth-worm, and coils
and twists about as if it possessed a separate life
of its own.
Among the ant-eaters especially worthy of no¬
tice, is the Ground Hog, a native of Southern
Africa. This animal is about five feet in length,
has a long, pointed nose, and stiff, erect ears. Its
body is well proportioned, of a reddish-brown
color, and armed with bristles. Its greatest
strength is in its fore-legs, the feet of which are
furnished with sharp claws with which it opens
the dwellings of the ants, and also digs burrows for
its own habitation. It is seldom seen in the day¬
time, but at night leaves its home, and makes its
way to an ant-hill. Laying hold of the earthen
walls, it speedily tears them down, and as the
terrified inmates rush out in swarms, sweeps
them into its mouth by hundreds.
74
LESSONS FROM INSECT LIFE.
There is another animal, called by way of dis¬
tinction, the Great Ant-Eater, or Tamanoir. This
is a native of South America. Its body is from
four to five feet in length, having a tail covered
with long, bristly hair, which the Indians use for
various kinds of ingenious wicker-work. The
fore-feet are armed with claws, which serve the
double purpose of scratching up the ant-hills, and
of taking strong hold of any object. While sleep¬
ing, it is said to closely resemble a rough bundle
of hay thrown loosely upon the ground, for the
hair is so long and coarse as scarcely to be rec¬
ognized as the coat of an animal. Although a
slow and unwieldy animal, nature has not left him
defenceless. If an enemy approaches too closely,
he grasps the intruder within his claws, and, like
the bear, squeezes him to death.
A still more curious animal is the Little Ant-
Eater, which generally lives in the trees, clinging
to the limbs, and swinging from them by its tail,
which is sufficiently strong to support the whole
weight of the body. It is a bold creature, attack¬
ing, not only the nests of ants, but also those of
wasps, putting its paw into the combs, and drag-
THE ANT.
75
ging the grubs from their cells. Like its larger
relatives, it is active only at night. During the
day it sleeps with its tail safely twisted around
the branch on which it sits.
These animals prevent too great an increase
of the ants, while at the same time they are not
so numerous as to exterminate the race, or to
interfere with the useful labor which the Creator
has evidently committed to the little insects to
perform.
Thus have we traced the life of the ant. We
can say with the poet: —
* Thou little insect, infinitely small,
What curious texture marks thy tiny frame!
How seeming large thy foresight, and withal,
Thy laboring talents not unworthy fame,
To raise such monstrous hills along the plain,
Larger than mountains when compared with thee;
To drag the crumbs dropp’d by the village swain,
Huge size to thine, is strange indeed to me!
But that great instinct which foretells the cold,
And bids to guard ’gainst winter’s wasteful power;
Endues this mite with cheerfulness to hold
Its toiling labors through the sultry hour;
So that same soothing Power, in misery,
Cheers the poor pilgrim to eternity.”
76
LESSONS FROM INSECT LIFE.
We have seen how God cares for the little
insect in all its wants, and have found additional
evidence that nothing is too small to escape the
notice of the Creator; that his tender mercies
are over all his works. The Psalmist says: —
“ Whoso is wise, and will observe these things,
even they shall understand the loving-kindness
of God.” If God is careful of the least of his
creatures, shall we not believe that “ his merci¬
ful kindness is great toward us?” Especially
let it be remembered, that “he gave his only
begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him
should not perish, but have -everlasting life; ”
and let our study of Nature and its wonders lead
us to give our hearts to him who is not only the
God of Nature but the God of Grace I
THE FLY.
“Divers sorts of Flies.”
THE FLY.
CHAPTER I.
Always something to be learned. — Different species of
plies. _ Diptera. — Transformations of the Fly.— Struc¬
ture of the Fly. — How a Fly eats and drinks. — How
a Fly walks. — Different theories. — Our ignorance of
familiar things. — A Fly on the wing. — Its rapid flight.
— How does a Fly buzz. — Where do Flies go in the
winter. — Wordsworth’s lines to a Fly. — Kindness to
those in Trouble. — Usefulness of the Fly. — Blessings
in seeming ills.
However familiar a subject may be to us,
we can always, by careful study, learn some¬
thing new concerning it. It is one evidence of
the infinite power of the Creator that we can
never exhaust his works, and thus we have the
highest incentive to take the position of learners.
Flies are common objects, which the reader may
think very uninteresting. But God has made
80 LESSONS FROM INSECT LIFE.
every thing for some good purpose; He has
created nothing that is not well worthy of our
study. The Bible and the book of Nature, so
far as we can read them, teach us these truths.
The little fly which buzzes upon the window-
pane, or sits upon the edge of the sugar-bowl
and unwittingly steals the sweet food, may, it
we think aright, become a teacher, and we shall
learn that from the seeming ills of life we can
derive much that is pleasant and often useful.
Sir William Davenant, in remarking upon the
works of God, says,—
“To study God, God’s student, man, was made;
To read him as in Nature’s book conveyed,
Not as in Heaven.
Each little flower,
And lesser fly, shows his familiar power.”
Another poet, in speaking of the wisdom and
skill of the Creator, as manifest in what we
inaptly call the lower orders of creation, says, —
“’Tis sweet to muse upon the skill displayed; —
Infinite skill in all that He hath made;
And trace in Nature’s most minute design
The signature and stamp of power divine;
THE FLY.
81
Contrivance infinite expressed with ease,
Where unassisted sight no beauty sees ;
The shapely limb, the lubricated joint,
Within the small dimensions of a point.
Muscle and nerve miraculously spun,
His mighty work who speaks,—and it is done.”
There are a great many species of flies,
but they are nearly all classed under the gen¬
eral name diptera, meaning two winged , and
possess the same general characteristics: two
pairs of wings, two balancers, or poisers, just
behind the wings, and a horny or fleshy pro¬
boscis formed for sucking or lapping food. The
many transformations through which flies pass
in their short lives attracted the attention of the
earliest naturalists, and present the most curious
circumstances in their history. There are four
distinct stages of their existence: that of the
egg; the larva, or caterpillar; the pupa, or
chrysalis ; and the perfect fly.
The larvae, commonly called maggots, have
no feet. The pupae are either incased in the
dried skins of the larvae, or are partially exposed,
with their wings and legs free and unconfined.
6
82
LESSONS FROM INSECT LIFE.
The head is large and globular, joined to the
body by a very slender neck, and is capable of
rapid and varied motion. The greater portion
of it, especially in the males, is occupied by the
brilliant compound eyes. In some instances we
find single ocelli, or little eyes, which are al¬
ways situated on the top of the head. The
proboscis is placed under the head, and by
some varieties of flies is often drawn up and
concealed in the mouth. This organ so indis¬
pensable to the existence of the fly, consists of
a long channel ending in two fleshy lips, enclos¬
ing on its upper side several fine bristles as
sharp as needles. The wounds or bites which
the fly inflicts are made by these sharp-pointed
instruments, and the saliva that flows into them
causes that painful swelling and itching which is
so common that it need not be described! The
wings are filmy or gauze-like, and are abun¬
dantly supplied with veins. If the reader has a
microscope or magnifying glass he can examine
a wing at leisure, and see and admire its beauti¬
ful structure. The delicate threads, invisible to
the naked eye, compose a net-work of marvelous
THE FLY.
83
beauty, and the mind is filled with astonishment
that such creative skill should be displayed upon
so small an object, where the natural eye of man
never would have detected it. Just behind the
joints of the wings are two little convex scales,
which open and shut with every movement of
the wings. These are sometimes called winglets.
Immediately behind these are the balancers, or
poisers, already alluded to, which resemble short
threads knotted at the ends.
The fly’s sole instrument for eating and drink¬
ing is his proboscis. It is evident that this
must be a convenient article when inserted into
any liquid, or applied to the broken surface of
over-ripe fruit; but we often see flies busy upon
lumps of hard white sugar, which are evidently
as grateful to them as to ourselves. How, with¬
out teeth, does the insect demolish this crystal
mass ? A magnifying glass reveals the mystery.
The fly dissolves the sugar by a salivary fluid
which passes down through the same pipe which
shortly after returns the sugar melted into sirup.
The diptera have six legs, and each foot has
two claws and two or three little cushions or
84
LESSONS FROM INSECT LIFE.
pads set with numerous hairs, spreading out so
as to constitute little cups.
It is well known that flies and many other in¬
sects possess the power of creeping up smooth
perpendicular surfaces, and of walking upon the
ceiling with the back downward. When you
see a fly thus walking, the inquiry immediately
arises in the mind, How is it done ? This ques¬
tion has not yet been fully settled. Many writers
have attempted to explain the wonderful fact,
and many diverse opinions have been advanced.
Some say that the secret is in what, when boys,
we called “ suckers,” on the bottoms of the feet.
In other words, it is said that a vacuum is pro¬
duced by certain organs attached to the ends of the
feet, which thus adhere to any object by the out¬
side pressure of the atmosphere, or are left free to
rise as these “ suckers,” are alternately expanded
or contracted. This has been, and perhaps now
is, the commonly received opinion, and it may be
the correct one, although modern science has
advanced a different theory. A believer in the
method already stated explains his ideas in the
following manner. He says, “ The feet are pro-
THE FLY.
85
vided with suckers, very beautifully and won-
drously contrived, which may be seen by looking
through a microscope at a fly walking along the
opposite side of any clear glass.
Foot of the Blue-bottle Fly magnified.
The engraving shows (a) the under side of the last joint of the
toe, with the suckers expanded, as when the insect is walking on a
pane of glass. There is also a side view of the same part (6). The
view shows the foot magnified six thousand four hundred times.
Two of these suckers are united to the last
joint of the toe, immediately under the root of
the claw. They spread out from a single root,
which is able to move in every direction. When
these suckers are applied to any substance, they
are separated from each other, the surface of
each being widely expanded, but when disen¬
gaged they become nearly closed, and are brought
LESSONS FROM INSECT LIFE.
together so as to be confined within the space
between the two claws. The outer edge of
each sucker is beautifully toothed like a saw,
and the surface, which is concave, is rough, with
little points.
It is not certain, however, that this theory of
inverted locomotion is the true one. It is said
by others, that the little pedestrian can traverse
the sides and stick fast to the dome, of an ex¬
hausted receiver. Here, certainly, is no atmos¬
pheric pressure. The gentleman who tried this
experiment, found that a fly, benumbed with cold,
or enfeebled from some other cause, met with dif¬
ficulty in climbing a glass ascended before with
perfect ease. He also observed that flies unable
to stand, back downward, on highly polished
bodies, were able to do so on those slightly soiled.
From these facts he concluded that the apparatus
by which they secure their position, is purely me¬
chanical, and corresponds to the fine hair-brushes
which other insects use as holders or supporters.
Several students of insect life have maintained
that the adhesion of flies to smooth surfaces, and
their ability to walk in any and every conceivable
THE FLY.
87
position of the body, are due to glutinous liquid se¬
creted in the bottoms of the feet. Nearly two hun¬
dred years ago, an old writer remarked, “ The fly
is provided with six legs and walks on four. The
two foremost she uses as hands wherewith to
wipe her mouth and nose, and take up what she
eats; her other feet are cloven, and armed with
little claws, by which she fastens on the rough
and sharp places of all bodies like a catamount.
She is also furnished with a kind of fuzzy sub¬
stance, like little sponges, (the same that we have
called “ suckers,”) with which nature hath lined
the soles of her feet, which substance is also
filled with a white, sticky liquid, squeezed out at
pleasure to glue herself to the surface.”
Mr. White, in his “ Natural History of Sel-
borne,” observes that toward the close of the
year, when flies crowd the windows in a sluggish
and torpid condition, they are hardly able to lift
their legs, and that many are actually glued to
the glass, and there die from inability to overcome
the pressure of the atmosphere.
The faculty of walking upon smooth surfaces,
and in any position of the body, is not limited to
88
LESSONS FROM INSECT LIFE.
insects. Some species of lizards possess a sim¬
ilar faculty, and a similar apparatus to account
for it. There is one reflection which naturally
suggests itself at this point, — how easy it is for
us to show our ignorance upon subjects which
seem so very familiar! The fly is the common
summer companion of man. We are compelled
to give it shelter and food, and we can not drive
it from our homes; we think we are acquainted
with its every motion; learned men have studied
its characteristics and habits with great care, and
still we can not tell how a fly walks! Is not man’s
wisdom folly with God, and if we thus stumble
and fail before one of the least of God’s works,
shall we expect to understand all the mysteries
of his kingdom? There is a limit to man’s
knowledge ; there is something always beyond
and above his reach ; the finite loses itself in the
infinite. Here is one grand proof of a Supreme
Being,—that we discover a controlling mind great¬
er than man’s, manifestations of power beyond his
comprehension. Let us be thankful for this,—
thankful that we can not understand all things;
for as an acute thinker remarks, “ a God under-
THE FLY.
89
stood is no God at all; ” — thankful, too, that we
can know and comprehend all that is necessary
for our present and eternal happiness. Here
there is no doubt. Christ is the way, the truth,
and the life, and if any man believe on him, he
shall not perish, but shall have everlasting life.
A fly on the wing is no less interesting than
when on foot, and yet how seldom do we trouble
ourselves to think about it, except as an insect
that annoys us. The flight of the insect tribes is
wonderfully rapid, and is also remarkable for its
variety of direction. The fly proceeds, generally,
in a direct line, with its back upward, like a bird,
but oftentimes in a contrary direction with its
back downward, as when starting from a ceiling
and alighting on the wall of a room. It has been
calculated that the common house-fly makes with
its wings not far from six hundred strokes every
second, by which it is carried five feet. It is also
stated, that if alarmed, its speed can be increased
six or seven fold. A fly is so small an animal
that we do not realize the swiftness with which it
moves from place to place. Kirby remarks that
if the insect equaled the race-horse in size, and
90
LESSONS FROM INSECT LIFE.
retained its present powers in the ratio of its
magnitude, it would traverse the globe with the
rapidity of lightning. A principal agent in its
flight is the air, which passes from the breathing
organs of the body into the nerves and muscles
of the wings. In consequence of this arrange¬
ment, the velocity of the swift-winged traveler
depends not alone upon muscular power, but also
upon the condition of the atmosphere.
We found it difficult to answer the question, —
How does a fly walk ? There is another equally
hard of solution, — How does a fly buzz ? Does
one reader quickly respond, “ With its wings ? ”
or another with a laudable attempt at a philo¬
sophical answer, reply, “ With its wings as they
vibrate upon the air ? ” Of these readers who
have solved the problem so readily, we will ask
other questions. If these answers are correct,
how is it that the great Dragon-fly, and other
similar broad-winged, rapid flying insects, move
through the air with silent swiftness ? And why
do other species keep up their buzzing when not
upon the wing ? What response can be made to
these inquiries ? The buzzing of a fly is a more
THE FLY.
91
perplexing problem than the walking. Rennie,
one of the most thorough students of insect life,
attributes the sound partly to air, but to air as
it plays “ upon the edges of the wings at their
origin, as with an JEolian harp-string, or to the
friction of some internal organ on the roots of the
wings, nervures, or ribs.”
There is yet another question concerning flies
difficult to answer, — Whither do they go on the
approach of winter ? Naturalists have thus far
failed to solve this mystery satisfactorily. Doubt¬
less a great proportion perish from cold, and the
many accidents to which their weakness and grow¬
ing torpor render them more and more exposed as
the year declines. Yet, in comparison with the
countless swarms that beset us in the warm sum¬
mer months, and blacken the ceiling with backs
downward, how few do we ever perceive stiff and
dead on the floor. We all know that some flies
do survive the cold months, for on a mild winter
day we often see them emerging from unknown
places, and sometimes solitary, large, fat flies,
will crawl out upon the window-seat or mantel,
tempted by the warmth of the fire from their
92 LESSON'S FROM INSECT LIFE.
hiding-places. Under such forlorn circumstances
a fly becomes to us an object of interest. Our
dislike of the buzzing, tickling, troublesome in¬
sect of the summer, is changed to sympathy for
the forlorn, shivering, mateless creature, tempted
by deceptive warmth to quit his winter asylum.
We do not deny the insect the bits of food he
picks up, and we would even save him from
drowning in an ocean of milk, or from beinw
swallowed up in a swamp of honey.
Did you ever set such a fly, damp and drip¬
ping, on the heated mantle-piece, and watch his
gradual restoration to life ? If not, then try it
when the next opportunity presents itself. See
how at first languidly, and then more briskly he
uses his handy paws, stroking and wiping his
head and face, and large moveless eyes, and then
notice him with his hinder limbs performing the
same operations on his wings and body. Sym¬
pathy will be aroused for the weak insect, and
you will learn the pleasant lesson that the suffer¬
ings of the meanest creature, when in adversity,
strike a tender chord in our hearts.
A forlorn fly was tempted on a very cold day
THE FLY.
93
to the warm stove of Wordsworth, who tells the
incident in a poem. After contrasting his own
warm comforts and loving companionship, with
the shivering and solitary condition of the fly, he
says, —
« y e t God is my witness,— thou small helpless thing,
Thy life I would gladly sustain,
Till Summer comes back from the South, and with
crowds
Of thy brethren, a march thou should’st sound through
the clouds,
And back to the forests again.”
But while thankful that our hearts so often
respond in sympathy, for the adversities and
afflictions of others, we should not forget that
the Lord careth for us in our troubles, and if he
chastises us, it is only that he may afterward bless
us the more. And we should remember that al¬
though “no chastening for the present seemeth
to be joyous, but grievous; nevertheless, after¬
ward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteous¬
ness unto them which are exercised thereby.”
It has been already remarked that God created
every thing for some wise purpose. The reader
94
LESSONS FROM INSECT LIFE.
will remember that in the history of the ant we
learned our great indebtedness to that insect for
removing impurities from the earth. We owe
a similar if not a greater debt of gratitude to
the fly. Its labors in this respect are much
more important than we are accustomed to think.
The wheels of the intricate machinery of nature,
which otherwise would be continually clogged
and impeded by impurities of every description,
are kept comparatively clean and in good order,
by the labors of insects, which, like the exer¬
tions of other agents performed for their own
little ends, are made by the Ruler of all things
conducive to a grand result. The fly is, in
fact, a scavenger of no small ability, and while
it is the source of great annoyance, it may be
questioned whether its good services do not more
than balance its evil deeds.
A modern author says, “ The fly’s purpose in
Nature is to consume various substances which
are given out by the human body, by articles
of food, and almost every animal and vegetable
production when in a state of change, and given
out in such small quantities that they are not
THE FLY.
95
perceptible to common observers, neither remov¬
able by the ordinary means of cleanliness, even
in the best kept apartment.” If this be so,
shall we not submit to its annoying habits with
more patience?
How often does it occur that things which at
first seem useless and even hurtful, afterward
prove themselves to be of great value to us, and
minister to our comfort and happiness in a thou¬
sand different ways. So often is this the case,
that we should learn to be very cautious in
forming our judgments, not only concerning
things of the natural world, but respecting our
fellow-beings in their different relations. It is
much better to come slowly to a just conclu¬
sion, than to form rash opinions which must
afterward be changed, and perhaps not until
great injustice has been done.
CHAPTER II.
The House-fly. — Its origin.— Its cleanliness.— A social
insect. — A terror to housekeepers. — Fly poisons_
The Crane Fly. — Its singular egg-placer.—The Nem-
estrina.— Its remarkable beak. — The Blow Fly. —Its
usefulness. — The May Fly. — Its transformations_
Rennie’s observations.— Useful lessons. — The Spanish
Fly— Its medicinal qualities.— Species in this country.—
The Potato Fly. — The Fire-fly.—Its beauty; the Poet
Southey. — Fire-flies in the tropics. — Early supersti¬
tions. — The Saw-fly.— Its saws — How it lays its eggs.
— The Dragon Fly. — Its beauty and cruelty. — Its
transformations. — The resurrection.
Having thus described the general charac¬
teristics of the fly, let us now turn our atten¬
tion to the peculiarities of some of the different
species.
THE HOUSE-FLY.
The common house-fly will naturally claim
our first attention. We all know how much at
home the domestic flies make themselves in our
THE FLY.
97
houses, upon our persons, upon our food, and in
every warm and sunny spot that they can find,
and how they buzz about as if always contented
and happy. The hovel and the palace, tin cups
and silver plate, decaying meat and dainty pre¬
serves, the side-board and the cheek of a child,—
all seem equally attractive to these insects, and
they swarm about us neither restrained by fear,
nor discouraged by opposition. But whence did
they come? Let not the reader be surprised
to learn that their parents made themselves as
much at home, and were as happy in the stable
near by, as the children who from the stable
have found their way to the house. There,
among the horses and cattle, the greater pro¬
portion of the insect-mothers found a hot-bed
for their eggs, and ample provision for the in-
Kggs of the Domestic Fly.
fant race. There the flies were born, and in
this humble birth-place, and when in their first
7
98
LESSONS FROM INSECT LIFE.
and wingless state of maggots or larvae they
commence their important mission of helping to
rid the earth of all things that offend. Thus
we see that even in their infancy, the flies
which we so much despise begin their life of
usefulness.
But the stable is not the only birth-place of
house-flies,— the roads and the meadows furnish
great numbers of these familiar creatures. But
although bred in filth, and living often in un¬
clean places, the fly takes apparent delight in
brushing off all dust and dirt by rubbing its
feet together, and it carefully cleans its head,
face, eyes, wings, and body with- its fore and
hind legs. This process very much resembles
that used by cats for the same purpose, and
the reader has doubtless often noticed flies thus
employed.
Flies begin to appear in houses in July, and
sometimes even earlier than this, and by August,
are very abundant. They do not disappear until
cold weather. The swarms of summer are
doubtless the progeny of a few individuals who
have survived the winter months in some pro-
THE FLY.
99
tected nook, and it is possible, too, that many
are born from eggs laid the preceding season.
The house-fly is such a constant companion of
man, that its presence, even on some desolate
island, is sufficient proof that human beings are
not, or have not been, far distant. Like the
bee, it is a social insect, and compels us to an
intimate acquaintance, whether we are willing
or not.
It can not be denied that the house-fly is a
troublesome insect, and a terror to tidy house¬
keepers. Some foreign writers have charged us
as a nation with carelessness in regard to flies,
and perhaps with some reason. We are well
aware that they seem to swarm in some houses,
covering every article of food by day, and
blackening the walls by night (for flies are quiet
in the dark) ; while other houses are compara¬
tively free from them. If food of any kind is
left standing uncovered, it will quickly attract
them, and the good news rapidly spreads through¬
out the whole fly community. Thorough neat¬
ness is the best preventive against these unwel¬
come swarms, but it is not a certain one, and it
100
LESSONS FROM INSECT LIFE.
is well to make a business of driving the in¬
truders from the house once a day. Various
methods have been tried to exclude flies from
houses, or to kill them after they have secured
an entrance, and taken possession. We can im¬
agine how the little unsuspecting insect would
shudder if it but knew the many ways the in¬
genuity of man has planned for its destruction.
One of the simplest, and at the same time, most
effectual methods of destroying flies is to place
a dish of strong green tea, well sweetened, in
an outer apartment accessible to them. They
will taste of it, and the effect will be as fatal as
that of any approved poison.
THE CRANE FLY.
This species is common in meadows. It is
especially remarkable for its singular organ for
laying its eggs. This egg-placer is beautifully
constructed, serving first to bore the earth, and
then, as it is tubular, to allow the eggs to pass
to the spot where the caterpillars, when hatched,
will find the food they need. A gentleman ob¬
served one of these flies make a hole in the
THE FLY.
101
ground for its eggs. She had chosen a bank
sloping toward the south, and bare of grass.
She stood, with her legs stretched out on each
side, and kept turning herself half round, back¬
ward and forward alternately. By this motion
the egg-placer of the fly made its way into the
hard soil, and through the singularly contrived
tube she deposited her eggs in a secure situa¬
tion. The eggs, however, were not all placed in
the same hole. Every few moments the fly
changed her place, but never more than an inch
from where she bored last. While thus engaged,
her male companion was seen suspended by one
of his legs on a twig not far from her, appar¬
ently either watching her movements, or on the
look-out for intruders or enemies.
THE NEMESTRINA.
A long-beaked fly, next attracts our notice
•from that feature which gives it its name.
The Creator always adapts his creatures to
the conditions in which he places them. The
peculiar wants of different animals have their
peculiar means of gratification, and every ani-
102
LESSONS FROM INSECT LIFE.
mal is perfect of its kind and fitted in all re¬
spects for its own existence. In the whole
animate creation no superfluous organs are found
THE FLY.
103
and no necessary ones wanting. The long-
beaked fly has an extraordinary trunk, with
which it collects the pieces that constitute its
food. The reader will note the length of the
beak as compared with that of the body of the
insect. If we can not fully understand its uses,
we can appreciate its strange appearance, and
wonder at the infinite variety in the works of
creation.
THE BLOW FLY.
This species, in common with a few others,
instead of laying its eggs like the majority
of insects, hatches them in its own body, and
^ Magnified Blow Flies ; one newly hatched.
deposits little footless, but living, caterpillars upon
decaying animal matter, and these infant flies
104
LESSONS FROM INSECT LIFE.
commence their eating as soon as they touch the
substance upon which they have been dropped.
It has been supposed that this peculiarity j a
in consequence of their being appointed to assist
in cleansing the surface of the earth from dead
and putrefying animal matter. For this purpose
it is necessary that no time be lost in quickly
developing the laborers to an active existence
that they may undertake their task. It seems
also needful that their number shall be in pro¬
portion to the amount of work to be done.
These ends are, therefore, secured by extraor¬
dinary means.
It has been ascertained that one of these flies
will produce twenty thousand young, and that
these attain their full growth in a fortnight, and
then produce others.
THE MAT FLT.
This insect is classed under the general name
of ephemera , a Greek word, meaning “ for a
day.” The propriety of this name arises from
the fact that it lives but a single day in its
perfect state.
THE FLY.
105
The Ephemerae pass through several transfor¬
mations. In their early stages, they either live
in holes in the banks of rivers, or of brooks,
which are so situated that the water enters
them. They seldom leave these nests, but when
they do, they swim about, walk on the bed of
the stream, or conceal themselves under stones
or pieces of wood. It is said that some ephem-
Th<? May Fly.
erae live one, others two, and some even three
years in this manner ; but at last having burst
106
LESSONS FROM INSECT LIFE.
tbeir pupa skins, they leave the water, and are
perfect flies for a day.
Although the various species attain their per¬
fection at different times of the year, the same
species appear regularly at about the same
period. During a few days at this season, they
fill the air in the neighborhood of rivers. One
species, remarkable for the whiteness of its
wings, sometimes rises and falls in such num¬
bers on the banks as to thicken the air and
whiten the surface of the ground, reminding us
amid the verdant and leafy summer, of
“ The flaky weight of Nature’s purest snows.”
The celebrated naturalist Reaumur, having been
informed by a fisherman that the may-flies had
appeared, got into his boat about three hours before
sunset, and detached from the banks of the river
several masses of earth chrysalides, which he put
in a large tub filled with water. He remained
in the boat until nearly eight o’clock, and seeing
nothing remarkable in the number of the flies,
and being threatened with a storm, he gave or¬
ders for the tub to be landed, and placed in his
THE FLY.
107
garden, at the foot of which ran the river Marne.
But before his directions could be obeyed, an
astonishing number of ephemerae came forth.
Every piece of earth that was above the sur¬
face of the water was covered by them, some
beginning to quit the chrysalis, others prepared
to fly, and others already on the wing. Under
the water, too, they were every-where to be seen,
in a more or less advanced state.
The storm coming on he was obliged to retire ;
but when the rain ceased to fall he returned.
The tub had been covered with a cloth, and as
soon as it was removed, the number of flies ap¬
peared to be much greater, and kept continually
increasing. Many flew away, but many more
were drowned. Those already changed, or chang¬
ing, would, of themselves, have been enough to
make the tub seem full; but others, attracted by
the light very much enlarged the number. To pre¬
vent their being drowned, Reaumur caused the
tub again to be covered with the cloth, and over
it he held the light, which was soon concealed
by a layer of these flies which might have been
taken by hundreds from the candlestick.
108
LESSONS FROM INSECT LIFE.
It may seem strange that a being perfect and
beautiful in all its parts should be created for so
brief an existence, and we may say, what is the
use, or of what worth is so short a life ? But
we must not question the wisdom of an infinite
God with whom a day is as a thousand years,
and a thousand years as one day. We should
also remember that while the infancy, middle
age. and old age of a perfect May Fly, are all
comprehended in less than the compass of a day,
yet in its different stages of existence, it has lived
for two or three years.
In the life of the May Fly there are lessons for
us written in characters divine. How much pre¬
cious time made up of stray minutes and half-
hours we daily throw away because we think it
is not worth while to use them ! How many
important efforts do we shrink from making be¬
cause life may be too short for their completion!
How much time we throw away because we can
not expect to reap the fruit of our labors, forget¬
ting that we are sowing not for time but for
eternity. In all these things, an ephemeral fly
may teach us wisdom. Although a few summer
THE FLY.
109
hours constitute all its existence, not a moment
is wasted. It lives a life of ceaseless activity
and enjoyment, and although it dies so soon, it
has well performed the purpose of its creation.
THE SPANISH FLY.
It will be difficult to find any pleasing associa¬
tions connected with this insect. The very name
is suggestive of the sick-room, physicians, and
painful blisters. But while in this respect the
fly has doubtless been of great use, it is gratify¬
ing to know that we depend much less upon it
than formerly. What insect has caused so much
pain in the world, and that too w-hen dead ? Yet
it may be said that, in compensation for all this
suffering, it has relieved pain and saved life.
Cantharides, or Spanish flies, are found in the
south of Europe, and especially in Spain and
Italy, where they are collected in great quanti¬
ties for exportation. They often appear in im¬
mense swarms upon the trees in May and June,
so that the limbs actually bend beneath their
weight, and are stripped of all their foliage.
They are very timid, and when alarmed, they
110
LESSONS FROM INSECT LIFE.
draw up their legs and feign death. They pos¬
sess the power of raising blisters when applied
to the skin, and retain it when dead and dry.
It is this property that renders them so valuable
as medicinal agents.
They are collected in the early morning, when
they are in a torpid state, and will easily let go
their hold. The gatherers, protected by masks
and gloves, beat the trees, and the flies fall upon
a cloth spread to receive them. They are then
deprived of life by being exposed to the steam
of hot vinegar.
Some species of Cantharides are found in this
country, and are very destructive to foliage. Of
these the “ potato-fly ” is very common in New
England; — another species seems especially fond
of the clematis, and still another of the leaves of
the bean. These native insects are sometimes
collected for medicinal purposes, but the Spanish
fly is the species most generally known to the
profession, and most active in its desired work.
THE FIRE-FLY.
Did you ever notice, in passing through a
THE FLY.
Ill
swamp or lowland on a summer evening, the
flashing, brilliant fire-flies, making the landscape
seem as if illumined by a thousand swinging
miniature lamps ? It is one of the most beauti¬
ful sights upon which the eye can rest. Al¬
though these luminous insects abound both in
Europe and America, they are found in great¬
est perfection in the tropical climates. It is in
tbe home of the humming-bird, — that winged gem
whose luster seems borrowed from a tropical sun,
_that we are to seek for the insect lamps of night
in their greatest perfection.
Many a traveler in the forests and mountains
of the West Indies has been shown on his way
by these flies, on nights when the light was in¬
sufficient to disclose the dangers. The poet
Southey says,—
“ Innumerous tribes
From the wood-cover swarmed, and darkness made
Their beauties visible; awhile they streamed
A bright blue radiance upon flowers that closed
Their gorgeous colors from the eye of day;
Then, motionless and dark, eluded search,
Self-shrouded; and anon, starring the sky,
Roll like a shower of fire.”
112
LESSONS FROM INSECT LIFE.
The fire-fly of St. Domingo and the West India
Islands is about an inch in length, and one third
of an inch in breadth. It gives out its principal
light from two transparent eye-like tubercles,
placed upon the chest. There are also two lu¬
minous patches concealed under the horny wintr-
cases, which are not visible except when the in¬
sect is flying, when it appears adorned with four
brilliant gems of the most beautiful golden blue
luster. In fact, the whole body is full of light
The Fire-Fly.
which shines out between the abdominal seg¬
ments, when separated.
THE FLY.
113
We are told that the natives were formerly ac¬
customed to employ these living lamps which they
called cucujos, instead of candles, in their evening
household occupations. In traveling at night,
they were accustomed to tie one to each great
toe, and in fishing and hunting required no other
light. Besides this, they were sought for, and
encouraged in houses, and especially sleeping-
rooms, as extirpators of gnats, which constitute
a great part of their food.
The fire-fly is common in the inter-tropical
regions of the American continent, as well as
the West Indies. Several allied species are also
luminous. But of all, the lantern-fly of South
America is said to be preeminently brilliant.
The light of these tropical flies is often so in¬
tense as to cast the shadow of any object on the
opposite wall in a dark room. The under-side
of the throat seems, as it were, red-hot. When
left to itself, the insect becomes quiet, and the
light fades to a mere speck.
Formerly, these flies were regarded with su¬
perstition, their light being supposed to be that
of malignant spirits. But we now look upon the
8
114
LESSONS FROM INSECT LIFE.
brilliant flashes as the beautiful radiation of an in¬
sect sporting among its inoffensive companions.
THE SAW-FLY.
A most singular egg-placer in the body of a
little four-winged creature, has obtained for it
the name of the “ saw-fly.” The female is pro¬
vided with saws which are lodged in a deep
chink under the hinder part of the body, like
the blade of a knife in its handle, and are cov¬
ered by two scabbard-like pieces. The saws
are two in number, placed side by side, with
their ends directed backward, and are so hinged
to the under side of the body that they can be
withdrawn from the chink and moved up and
down when in use. They vary in form and in
the shape of the teeth in different species of
saw-flies; but they generally curve upward,
and taper toward the end, and are toothed along
the lower or convex edge. Each saw has a back
to steady it, like a carpentex-’s fine saw, but the
blade is not fastened to it, but slides backward
and forward upon it. It is also covered on one
side with cross rows of very fine teeth, which
THE FLY.
115
give it the power of a rasp as well as that of
a saw.
Saw of the Saw-Fly.
The female saw-flies use these ingeniously-
contrived tools to cut little slits in the stems and
leaves of plants in which they afterward drop
their eggs. The grubs, which often strip rose,
gooseberry, raspberry, and red-currant trees of
their leaves, and invade the birch, alder, and
willow, may be known by having from sixteen
to twenty-eight feet, by which they usually hang
to the leaf they feed on, while the hinder part
of the body is coiled up like a watch-spring.
Some of the most common of the perfect flies
have a flat body of a green or orange color,
with black head and shoulders.
In the fine summer mornings, the females of
the rose saw-fly may be seen eagerly travers¬
ing the branches of a shrub one after another.
Usually resting on the twig nearest to the end
116
LESSONS FROM INSECT LIFE.
of the principal stem, the insect makes an open¬
ing with her saw, and when the hole is of a
proper size, deposits an egg in the cavity.
She then remains quiet for a few moments,
draws away the greater part of her egg-placer,
and at the same time emits a frothy fluid. This
rises as high as the outer edges of the opening,
and often higher. She now proceeds to make
another hole, and then another, sometimes pro¬
ducing only four in a line, but generally twenty.
The part of the branch so notched in many
places shows nothing remarkable on the first
day, but on the second it begins to assume a
brown color. At last, all the wounds become
raised and round in form. This growth is owing
to the increased size of each egg, which daily
becomes larger, and forces the skin of the branch
upward. The little caterpillar, on coming out
of the egg, feeds upon the leaves of the shrub
on which it has its infant home. There are a
great many species of the saw-fly, and over
sixty have been catalogued as natives #f this
country.
THE FLY.
117
THE DRAGON FLY.
This insect is distinguished for its brilliant
and beautiful colors, and the ease and grace
with which it flies through the air. It has four
laro'e, shining, delicate wings of nearly equal
size, and a mouth very well adapted for crush¬
ing its food. On account of the lightness and
beauty of these flies, the French call them
demoiselles. Kirby speaks of their dress as
«silky, brilliant, and variegated, and trimmed
with the finest lace; ” and another naturalist
says, “ they set forth Nature’s elegancy beyond
the expression of art.”
The Dragon Fly
But kind and generous qualities, and a good
heart, are not always found beneath a beautiful
118
LESSONS FROM INSECT LIFE.
exterior. We can not judge correctly from exter¬
nal appearances, for it is often true, that “ things
are not what they seem.” The character of the
dragon fly is in strong contrast to its gay and
elegant attire. It is one of the most cruel and
voracious of insects, darting with the swiftness
and fierceness of a hawk upon gnats, musquitos,
butterflies, and almost any soft-bodied winged
creature, and oftentimes devours even those of
its own species. But it never injures man, at¬
tacking neither his person, cattle, or crops; on
the contrary, it may be justly considered of
great use in destroying noxious insects.
Thus shall we ever find in our intercourse
with our fellow-men, that no one is so utterly
degraded, or wicked, but that there is some good
trait to be found, covered though it may be with
sin.
Dragon flies pass their earlier states beneath
the wmter. The caterpillars and chrysalides are,
in form, somewhat like the perfect insect, and
breathe by particular organs placed along the
sides, or at the end, of the body. The larvae
are without wings, and they possess a very com-
THE FLY.
119
plicated arrangement of the parts forming the
under lip which covers the face like a mask,
concealing the mouth, and serving by the un¬
folding of its plates for seizing and conveying
food. They crawl stealthily along on the bed
of the stream like a cat, and when within reach
of their victim, spring their mask like a trap
upon it with great precision.
These insects remain many months in the
water, and change their skins several times.
Before undergoing their final transformation,
they leave the water by creeping up the stalks
of plants, or upon stones or earth. When ready
to assume their last and most elegant form, the
brilliant eyes of the future fly may be seen
through the transparent covering that wraps the
insect within its now despised folds. Crawling
out upon the bank, or upon some aquatic plant,
the pupa skin becomes dry and crisp, and bursts
open along the back. The head and eyes of the
insect are slowly thrust and drawn out, the
wings gradually expand themselves and become
smooth, and the fly at last appears in all its
beauty, — a gay and splendid creature.
120
LESSONS FROM INSECT LIFE.
The reader can not fail to notice with aston¬
ishment such remarkable changes in insect life.
But in this last transformation of the dragon fly,
when it bursts forth with a new life and a beau¬
tiful body, are we not reminded of the changes
that await our own bodies, even of that time
when “ this corruptible shall put on incorruption,
and this mortal put on immortality ” ?
“ And shalt thou, numbered with the dead,
No other state of being know ?
And shall no future morrow shed
On thee a beam of brighter glow ?
“ Is this the bound of power Divine,
To animate an insect frame?
Or shall not He who molded thine,
Wake at His will the vital flame ?
'* Go, mortal, in thy reptile state,
Enough to know to thee is given;
Go, and the joyful truth relate,
Frail child of earth! high heir of Heaven! ”
“ Marvel not at this,” says the Saviour, “ for
the hour is coming in the which all that are
in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come
forth: they that have done good, unto the resur-
THE FLY.
121
rection of life, and they that have done evil,
unto the resurrection of damnation.”
“ No doctrine,” say.3 an eminent divine, of the
resurrection, “ is so sublime, so delightful, or so
fitted to furnish consolation and hope to beings
whose life in this world is a moment, and whose
end is the grave. To this dark and desolate
habitation, man, by the twilight of Nature, looks
forward in despair as his final home. All who
have gone before him have pointed their feet to
its silent chambers; and not one of them returned
to announce that an opening has been discovered
from their dreary residence to some other, more
lightsome, and more desirable region. His own
feet daily tread the same melancholy path. As
he draws nigh, he surveys its prison walls, and
sees them unassailable by force, and insurmount¬
able by skill. No lamp illumines the midnight
within. No crevice opens to the eye a glimpse
of the regions which lie beyond. In absolute
despair he calls upon Philosophy to cheer his
drooping mind, but he calls in vain. She has no
consolations for herself, and can therefore admin¬
ister none to him. ‘ Here,’ she coldly and sul-
122
LESSONS FROM INSECT LIFE.
lenly cries, ‘is the end of man. From nothing
he sprang; — to nothing he returns. All that
remains of him is the dust, which here mingles
with his native earth.’
“ At this sullen moment of despair Revelation
approaches, and with a command at once awful
and delightful, exclaims ‘Lazarus, come forth!’
In a moment the earth heaves, the tomb dis¬
closes, and a form, bright as the sun and arrayed
in immortality, rises from the earth, and stretching
its wings towards heaven loses itself from the
astonished sight 1 ” — Dwight.
CHAPTER III.
The Hessian Flv.— Origin of its Name. — Its Birth and
Growth. — The Breeze-Flv. — Its Manner of laying its
Eggs. —Its Transformations.— The Gad Fly. — Its Beau¬
ty. — Its Effect upon Cattle. — The Zimb. — A Terror to
Man and Beast. — The Foe of the Sheep. — Gnats and
Musquitos. — Their Unpopularity. — Gnat Dancers. —
Early Life of the Gnat. — Its Egg Boat. — Insects in cold
Climates. — In the Crimea. — At the South. — Musquitos
and their Eggs. — Bryant’s Lines to a Musquito. — Du
Chaillu. — The Ibolai. — The Iboco. — The Eloway. —
The Tzetze. — The Insect Fly-Carrier. — Plague of Flies
in Egypt, and Lessons to be derived from it. — God’s
Care for his Children, and his Anger toward his Ene¬
mies. — Prayer and its Results.
In this chapter we will notice some of the
flies which in various ways are injurious to naan.
Many insects, as is well known, invade our fields.
Wheat, and other kinds of grain, are exposed to
their ravages, from the time when the green blade
shoots forth from the earth, until, having been cut
down by the sickle of the reaper, it is carefully
stored away in the barn. The farmer often suf-
124
LESSONS FROM INSECT LIFE.
fers greatly from these troublesome visitors, who
are as remarkable for their numbers as for their
voracity.
THE HESSIAN FLY.
Perhaps no insect in this country is more noted
for its depredations than the Hessian fly. Its
name originated in a supposition that it was fir3t
brought here in some straw by the Hessian troops
under the command of Sir William Howe, in the
war of the Revolution. This idea is thought by
many to be erroneous, but thus far no trace of its
existence in this country has been discovered
prior to 1776, when it was found on Staten Isl¬
and, in the immediate vicinity of Howe’s debarka¬
tion. Other historical items seem to add plau¬
sibility to this supposition. Whatever may be its
origin, however, this destructive insect has spread
from Staten Island throughout the country. Noth¬
ing intercepts it in its course, not even lofty moun¬
tains and broad rivers. “ Onward, straight on¬
ward,” seems to be its motto. At one time in
wheat-harvest, these flies were seen to cross the
Delaware River like a cloud, and so great was the
THE FLY.
125
number, that the houses swarmed with them, to
the great annoyance of the inhabitants. They
filled every plate and vessel that was in use, and
five hundred were counted in a single glass tum¬
bler, that was exposed to them for a few minutes.
Two broods, or generations, are brought to matu¬
rity in the course of a year, and the flies appear in
the spring and autumn. The transformations of
some in each brood appear to be retarded beyond
the usual time, as is often the case with other
insects; so that the lives of these individuals,
from the eggs to the winged state, extend to a
year or more in length, and thus the continuation
of the species in after-years is made more certain.
It is said by some writers that they lay their eggs
on the grain in the ear, and it is also well known
that they deposit eggs on the young plants long
before the grain is ripe. The maggots hatched
from these eggs pass down the stems of the grain
nearly to the roots, there become stationary, and
in June and July take the shape of a flax-seed.
They are found in this state at harvest-time, and
when the grain is gathered they remain with the
stubble in the field. Some, however, do not pass
126
LESSONS FROM INSECT LIFE.
so far down as to be below the stroke of. the
sickle, and consequently are gathered and carried
away with the straw.
THE BREEZE-FLY, OR BOT.
This insect selects the horse for its victim, and
small as it is, is often supposed to cause the death
of the noble animal. Contrary to the common
opinion, however, some writers insist that it in¬
flicts no pain and does no injury; but it seems
scarcely reasonable that the parasite can thus live
upon the stomach of the horse without causing
disease and suffering, if not even death.
In approaching the animal for the purpose of
depositing her eggs, the bot carries her body
nearly upright in the air. Suspending herself for
a few seconds before the part of the horse she in¬
tends to attack, she suddenly darts upon it, and
leaves the egg adhering to the hair by means of
a glutinous liquid with which it is covered. Re¬
tiring then a short distance, she prepares a second
egg, which she soon deposits in a similar manner.
These movements are repeated until sometimes
four or five hundred eggs are placed on one ani¬
mal.
THE FLY.
127
In this process, the fly selects the parts most
likely to be licked by the tongue. After four or
five days, the eggs remaining on the hair become
mature, and the slightest warmth or moisture is
then sufficient to call forth the caterpillar. If,
therefore, the egg is touched by the lips or tongue
of the horse, the caterpillar is freed, and readily
adhering to the surface of the tongue, is conveyed
with the food into the stomach. It is probable
that the greater proportion of these eggs are
taken up in this way, the irritation produced by
them causing the horse to make continual efforts
to relieve the pain by licking the spots with his
tongue.
The caterpillars usually hang in thick clusters
from the lining membrane of the stomach. They
retain their hold by means of two dark-brown
hooks, between which is the mouth of the insect.
When they reach maturity, the caterpillars quit
the stomach, and are carried off with the food.
They then seek shelter in the ground, and burying
themselves there become chrysalides. After re¬
maining in this state for a few weeks, they burst
from their confinement and delight themselves in
128
LESSONS FROM INSECT LIFE.
the air, and in their turn seek the horse for their
victim.
THE GAD-FLY.
This insect is the terror of cattle. A poet in
describing the herdsman, aptly says, —
“ Light fly his slumbers,— if perchance a flight
Of angry gad-flies fasten on his herd,
That startling, scatter from the shallow brook,
In search of lavish stream. Tossing the foam,
They scorn the keeper’s voice, and scour the plain,
Through all the bright serenity of noon.”
This fly is a beautiful insect, but it inflicts
great pain upon cattle in depositing its eggs.
Whenever an animal is attacked, the assault is
easily known by the extreme terror and agitation
of the whole herd. The unfortunate creature
runs bellowing from among them, while, from the
severity of the pain, the tail is held with a tremu¬
lous motion straight from the body in the direc¬
tion of the spine, and the head and neck are also
stretched out to the utmost. The rest of the cat¬
tle, impelled by fear, generally rush to the near¬
est water, or become scattered about the field.
THE FLY.
129
A single fly has been seen to meet a herd
when almost driven home, and turn them back,
Male and Female Gad-Fly, Caterpillar, and Chrysalis.
the stones, sticks, or shouts of the drivers being
of no avail, nor could they be stopped until they
had reached their usual retreat in the water.
When oxen are yoked to the plow, such attacks
from the gad-fly are dangerous, as the animals
are beyond all control, and will run in any direc¬
tion in which their frenzy drives them.
THE ZIMB.
A more terrible insect, still, is the zimb, a
native of Abyssinia. Small as it is, the lion and
the tiger, and even the largest living creatures,
tremble before it.
9
130
LESSONS FROM INSECT LIFE.
As soon as the buzzing of these insects is
heard, the cattle forsake their food, and run
wildly about the plain till they die, worn out with
hunger, fatigue, and fright. The camel, the ele¬
phant, and the rhinoceros — although the last
two coat themselves with mud — are attacked by
the zimb, and afflicted with many tumors. The
inhabitants of the sea-coast are obliged, in the
beginning of the rainy season, to remove to the
nearest sand, to prevent their stock of cattle from
being destroyed. According to Bruce, the inhab¬
itants of all the countries from the mountains of
Abyssinia northward, to the confluence of the
Nile and Astaboras, are, once a year, obliged to
change their abode, and seek protection in the
sands of Beja. Nor are there any means of
THE FLY.
131
avoiding this, though there were in the way a
hostile band, capable of spoiling them of half their
substance.
While speaking of these tormentors of animals,
we will allude to the foe of the sheep. This fly
is thought to deposit its eggs on the inner margin
of the nostril. The moment this part of the ani¬
mal is touched the effect is apparent. The sheep
shakes its head, and strikes the ground violently
with its fore feet; at the same time holding its
nose close to the earth, it runs away, looking
about on every side to see if the fly continues its
pursuit. It also smells the grass as it runs, ap¬
parently to ascertain whether one is lying in wait.
If a fly is thus discovered, the sheep gallops back,
or takes some other direction. As it cannot take
refuge, like the horse, or like cattle, in water, it
repairs to some dry, dusty place, or to some
gravel pit. In such localities, sheep may often
be seen crowded together during the heat of the
day, with their noses held close to the ground.
This position renders it difficult for the fly to
enter the nostrils, and is the chief protection of
the sheep.
132
LESSONS FROM INSECT LIFE.
GNATS AND MUSQUITOS.
Of all the insect tormentors, none are so loudly
and universally complained of as the gnat tribe,
to which many parts of the world are greatly ex¬
posed.
The Gnat, Caterpillar, and Chrysalis.
Gnats are lively insects, and have often been
held up as examples of cheerfulness and buoy¬
ancy of disposition. They are famous for dan¬
cing, and that with mathematical exactness; for
THE FLY.
133
no three of them can so place themselves that
lines joining their points of position shall form
either more or less than two right angles.
The Gnat commences his life on the water. It
has been said that man
“Learned of the little nautilus to sail,
Spread the thin oar, and catch the rising gale; ”
but lie might also have taken a first lesson in
boat-building from an object common in almost
any pond, — nothing less than a boat of eggs, not
a boat loaded with eggs. In fact, the gnat con¬
structs a buoyant life-boat of her own eggs,
sometimes using two or three hundred at a time.
This singular craft floats safely through all the
agitations of the water. In a few’ days, each of
the numerous lives within having assumed the
shape of a grub, issues from the lower end of its
own flask-shaped egg. The empty shells remain
attached together until the winds and waves make
a wreck of the tiny vessel. The insect then
passes through different transformations, — each
as remarkable as its infancy, — until it flies away,
a lively, dancing gnat. It is well to observe that
134
LESSONS FROM INSECT LIFE.
the gnat-biters are females, and their presence is
generally told by an unmistakable hum.
Let us travel northward. One would naturally
suppose that the cold climate of Lapland would
destroy insect life; but not so. There we find a
fly the terror of the reindeer, which obliges the
herdsman to take long and toilsome migrations
with his cattle from the interior to the coast, and
from the coast to the interior, at stated periods.
To remain in the woods during the summer
months would subject the Laplander to the total
loss of his deer, — his wealth and dependence.
The wild herds migrate instinctively.
But this fly is not the only pest of that climate.
We find there countless myriads of musquitos,
whose numbers are so prodigious as to be often
compared to a squall of snow' when the flakes fall
fastest. A writer says: “ The natives can not
take a mouthful of food, or lie down to sleep in
their cabins, unless they be fumigated almost to
suffocation. In the air you can not draw your
breath w'ithout having your mouth and your nos¬
trils filled with them; and unguents of tar, or
nets steeped in fetid birch oil, are scarcely suffi-
THE FLY.
135
cient to protect the case-hardened cuticle of the
Laplander fi-om their bite.”
In the Crimea, Dr. Clarke states that the sol¬
diers were often obliged to sleep in sacks, as a
defense against gnats; and that in spite of every
precaution, many died in consequence of mortifi¬
cation produced by their bites. His own hands,
and those of his companions, — notwithstanding
the protection of gloves, — were one entire
wound, causing great swelling and fever. He
says that the noise made by these insects in fly¬
ing can not be conceived of by those who have
heard gnats only in England.
If we pass to the southward we find gnats
in abundance. All through the tropical climates
the inhabitants suffer greatly from these winged
tormentors. Humboldt says, — “Between the
little harbor of Hignevote and the mouth of
the Rio Unaxe the wretched inhabitants are
accustomed to stretch themselves on the ground,
and pass the night buried in the sand three or
four inches deep, leaving out the head, which
they cover with a handkerchief.”
In the Southern States musquitos are found
136 LESSONS FROM INSECT LIFE.
in great numbers and of large size, and nets
or “bars,” are indispensable for comfort. At
the North, in damp localities especially, as on
the shores of ponds and sluggish streams, they are
numerous during the warm months, and quite
troublesome, but not to any serious extent.
Like other conquerors, musquitos have given
their name to territories; as for example Mus-
quito Creek, in Georgia; Musquitos, a town
in Cuba; and Musquito Territory, in Central
America.
It is supposed that the eggs of the musquito,
like those of other gnats, are deposited on the
surface of the water, and by means of its mois¬
ture, and the warmth of the sun, are matured.
The food of the caterpillar is unknown. When
it has reached its full growth, it spins a little
silken sheath which is attached to the plant
which the insect frequents. In this sheath the
caterpillar becomes a chrysalis in an upright
position, the case being always open at the top.
At length the little creature bursts its covering,
and the perfect insect emerges through the open¬
ing, surrounded by a bubble of air. Slowly it
THE FLY.
137
begins to unfold its wings under the water,
and when its skin is cast, and its maturity is
reached, it escapes from its former dwelling and
mounts to the top of the water. Here the
bubble bursts, and the insect appears with new
powers and in a new element.
With the music of the musquito, and with
its bite, we are sufficiently familiar, and need
not speak of them particularly. Bryant, in a
lively poem, describes the manner in which this
insect is regarded. He says,—
“ Fair insect, that with thread-like legs spread out,
And blood-extracting bill and filmy wing
Dost murmur, as thou slowly sail’st about,
In pitiless ears full many a plaintive thing,
And tell how little our large veins should bleed
Would we but yield them to thy bitter need;
“ Unwillingly, I own, and what is worse,
Full angrily men hearken to thy plaint;
Thou gettest many a brush and many a curse
For saying thou art gaunt and starved and faint.
E’en the old beggar, while he asks for food,
Would kill thee, helpless stranger, if he could.”
Du Chaillu, the celebrated traveler in equa¬
torial Africa, speaks of several species of trouble-
138
LESSONS FROM INSECT LIFE.
some flies. One is a small almost imperceptible
gnat, which appears in great numbers in the
morning until ten o’clock, from which time it is
not seen until four o’clock in the afternoon, when
its operations recommence and continue until
sunset. These little flies are most determined
blood-suckers, and very sly in all their movements.
Another species is called the ibolai, — an insect
twice as large as our common house-fly. It ap¬
proaches with a sharp whistle, and its sting is long
and strong enough to pierce the thickest clothes
one can wear in the heat of an African summer.
The iboco, another fly, is of the size of a hornet,
and very quiet in its motions. Its bite is more
severe than that of other African flies, and
clothing is no protection against it. Du Chaillu
says, “ Often the blood has run down my face
or arm from one of their savage attacks, and
even the well-tanned skin of the negroes is
punctured till it bleeds, so that one would think
a leech had been at his work on them.”
But this traveler speaks most particularly of
the eloway , a nest-building fly which frequents
the water-side, where its hives are hung to the
THE FLY.
139
pendent branches of the trees. It is a monster
of ferocity, and the natives run from it as from
no other insect of the woods. It is a little
fly shaped very much like a bee, but somewhat
smaller. The hives or nests are made of clay,
and evidently have separate apartments, as the
whole pendent bottle-shaped mass is filled with
holes, each of which has a little roof over it.
When disturbed these flies are very savage, and
their bite is exceedingly painful.
TSETSE.
Dr. Livingston, Burton, and other African
travelers, speak of the tsetse as a very trouble¬
some fly, which by some of the natives is
called “ the little sword,” and by others “ the
elephant fly,” from the fact that it is so
often found in company with that animal. It
is not much larger than the common house-fly,
and in color resembles the honey bee. It is
remarkably quick in ks motions, and most dex¬
terously avoids all efforts to capture it with the
hand at common temperatures; in the cool of
the mornings and evenings it is less active. It
140
LESSONS FROM INSECT LIFE.
has a very peculiar buzz, which, if once heard,
can never be forgotten.
The Tsetse Fly magnified.
A remarkable characteristic of the bite of the
tsetse is its perfect harmlessness to man and
wild animals, and its certain death to domestic
animals, — as the ox, horse, or dog. Some por¬
tions of South Africa are so infested by this
insect, that the inhabitants are unable to rear
cattle, the bite of a single fly being sometimes
sufficient to cause the death of the victim. Dr.
Livingston says, that neither he nor any of his
traveling companions suffered the slightest in
jury from its bite, although they passed months
THE FLY.
141
in the regions where it most abounds. Some
localities formerly swarming with the tsetse are
now entirely free from the terrible scourge, —
probably from the fact that it has been starved
out of the country by the absence of its favorite
animal food. This fly has boundary lines
beyond which it does not pass. One traveler
mentions, among other instances, that the south
bank of the river Chole was infested with the
tsetse, while the opposite bank, not fifty yards
distant, and where, too, the cattle were kept, was
perfectly free. In other places it has been
found on both sides of a stream.
But God’s law of compensation is everywhere
manifest. Were the tsetse left free to increase
without restraint, the land would in many parts
be uninhabitable; so the fly has its destroying
enemy. There is a long-legged, gaunt-looking
insect about an inch in length, which has all the
ferocity of a tiger, and springs upon the tsetse
and other flies, sucks out their blood, and throw¬
ing their bodies aside, seeks fresh victims.
We can not close this subject properly without
speaking of
142
LESSONS FROM INSECT LIFE.
THE INSECT FLY-CARRIER.
Its history is very remarkable. The process it
undergoes was described several years ago by a
naturalist, as the result of his own observations
in the island of Saint Domingo.
According to this authority, this insect, like the
silk-worm, is produced from eggs deposited by a
butterfly of a whitish, or light-pearl color. It is
hatched toward the latter end of July; and so
rapid is its growth, that in September the cater¬
pillar is changed into a butterfly. When it first
comes forth, it is arrayed in the most brilliant and
variegated colors. It feeds on the leaves of the
indigo and cassada plants, and as it continues its
ravages day and night, the planters consider it a
great evil.
In the month of August the caterpillar under¬
goes one of its changes. Putting off the beauti¬
ful hues in which it first appeared, it reflects all
the shades of one color, — a sea-green, according to
the lights in which it is beheld. It is now at¬
tacked by a very small fly, and in such swarms,
that it is said there is not a spot on its back or
THE FLY.
143
sides that is not covered by them. These insects
immediately deposit their eggs on the body of the
caterpillar, which appears for a short time after¬
ward in a state of lethargy, and then awakes to
feed with renewed activity.
In about fourteen days, during which time the
caterpillar increases in size ; it is completely
covered with a garment of living creatures of
a deep brown color, only the top of the head
however, being visible. Upon more minute ex¬
amination, it is found that each one of these little
creatures, raising itself on its hinder-part, swings
its body to and fro in every direction, and forms
for itself an extremely small egg-shaped cocoon,
remaining, like the silk-worm, within the ball.
The millions upon millions of cocoons thus
singularly produced, and that in about the space
of two hours, are placed so closely together, that
they form a white robe, in which the creature
appears elegantly clothed.
While this decoration proceeds, the caterpillar
appears in a torpid state; but no sooner is the
robe completed, than the wearer seeks to free
itself, and succeeds in the effort. Its appetite is
144 LESSONS FROM INSECT LIFE.
now gone. It speedily passes into the state of a
chrysalis, then becomes a butterfly, and after pro¬
ducing many hundred eggs, dies. When about
eight days have elapsed from the first formation
of the small cocoons already described, flies issue
from them, leaving the fibrous substance pure,
beautifully fine, and of a dazzling whiteness. It
is said that this may be carded and spun without
any preparation.
The reader will remember it was by a plague
of flies that Jehovah laid waste the land of Egypt,
and humbled Pharaoh’s haughty spirit. David
refers to this in one of his psalms: “ He sent
divers sorts of flies among them which devoured
them.” Turn to the eighth chapter of Exodus,
and read the account so vividly given. The Lord
spoke to the monarch of Egypt, saying, “ Thus
saith the Lord, let my people go, that they may
serve me. Else, if thou wilt not let my people
go, behold, I will send swarms of flies upon thee,
and upon thy servants, and upon thy people, and
into thy houses ; and the houses of the Egyptians
shall be full of swarms of flies, and also the
ground whereon they are.”
THE FLY.
145
In connection with this threat, is this remark¬
able declaration : “ And I will sever in that day
the land of Goshen, in which my people dwell ,
that no swarms of flies shall be there ; to the end
thou mayest know that I am the Lord in the
midst of the earth. And I will put a division
between my people and thy people: to-morrow
shall this sign be. And the Lord did so.”
The land of Goshen, where the Israelites dwelt,
was pasturage ground, and was not cultivated, be¬
cause it was not overflowed by the Nile. But the
land regularly inundated by this remarkable river
was the rich black earth of the valley of Egypt,
and it was to this that God limited the flies.
Thus it appears that Jehovah, the God of the
whole earth, graciously and miraculously protect¬
ed the region inhabited by his own chosen people,
while he executed judgment on his enemies who
dwelt at their side, and that, too, by means of flies
which pass so easily from place to place: “ There
came a grievous swarm of flies into the house of
Pharaoh and into his servants’ houses, and into
all the land of Egypt; the land was corrupted by
reason of the swarm of flies.”
10
146
LESSONS FROM INSECT LIFE.
God will always protect his children, and al¬
though “ slow unto anger,” will as surely punish
his enemies. The Psalmist had reason to say,
“ Truly, God is good to Israel; ” and we can say,
as we look upon the plague of flies, “ Behold,
therefore, the goodness and severity of God; on
them which fell, severity ; but toward thee, good¬
ness, if thou continue in his goodness.”
Bemember, too, how Moses entreated the Lord
that the flies might depart: “ And the Lord did
according to the word of Moses ; and he removed
the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, from his ser¬
vants, and from his people; there remained not
one.” How true it is that “ the effectual, fer¬
vent prayer of the righteous man availeth much.”
Prayer is our strength and our safety in every
circumstance of life. Our security from evil is
well expressed in the words of the Christian
poet, Montgomery: —
“ Call Jehovah thy salvation,
Rest beneath the Almighty’s shade;
In his secret habitation
Dwell, nor ever be dismayed:
There no tumult can alarm thee;
Thou shalt dread no hidden snare;
THE FLY.
147
Guile nor violence can harm thee,
In eternal safeguard there.
“ Only with thine eye, the anguish
Of the wicked thou shalt see,
When by slow disease they languish,
When they perish suddenly
Thee, though winds and waves be swelling,
God, thine hope, shall bear through all;
Plague shall not come nigh thy dwelling,
Thee no evil shall befall.
“ He shall charge his angel legions
Watch and ward o’er thee to keep,
Though thou walk through hostile regions,
Though in desert wilds thou sleep:
On the lion, vainly roaring,
On his young, thy foot shall tread;
And the dragon’s den exploring,
Thou sbalt bruise the serpent’s head.
“ Since with pure and firm affection
Thou on God hast set thy love,
With the wings of his protection
He will shield thee from above:
Thou shalt call on him in trouble,
He will hearken, he will save;
Here for grief reward thee double,
Crown with life beyond the grave.”
THE GALL INSECT.
u Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in His sight.
THE GALL INSECT.
CHAPTER I.
Auger of the Gall Insect. — Depositing of an Egg. — The
young Insect — Galls. — Where found. — Their Nature.
— Varieties of Form.— Oak-Galls. —Apples of Sodom.—
Galls used for Ink. — Value of Ink. — Care over Mouth
and Pen.— Use of the Pen for Good or Evil. — Religion
a governing Principle in Life.
When looking, for the first time, upon any
production of human art, there is no security
against disappointment; for man, at best, is but a
finite creature, and imperfection must, of neces¬
sity, accompany all his works. But it is not so in
the kingdoms of Creation and Providence. Here
everything bears the impress of a divine original,
and each object, the more it is studied, the more
clearly displays the wisdom and skill of its
Maker.
152
LESSONS FROM INSECT LIFE.
The gall insects illustrate this general fact.
Although little known, yet when they receive due
'attention, they bring before us a most singular
provision for inferior creatures, the peculiar and
admirable means by which it is secured, and its
subserviency in various ways to the good of man¬
kind.
The first question that naturally arises is,—
What are galls ?
Certain insects, called gall insects, deposit eggs
beneath the outer covering of plants, sometimes
on the roots, sometimes on the branches, or upon
the leaves and buds. The juices of the vegeta¬
ble expand, and form excrescences around the
eggs, varying greatly in size, shape, and charac¬
ter. These are galls.
Having given this general answer, let us ex¬
amine more particularly into the origin and struc¬
ture of these curious substances.
Each gall insect is provided with an auger,
nicely adapted in form to the body, and to the
work to be performed. It is hollow, and the end
is set with small teeth, like the iron point of an
arrow. With this curious instrument the insect
THE GALL INSECT.
153
makes openings in chosen parts of a tree or plant,
and in these deposits its eggs. Around these
eggs substances are formed, in which the young
insects live and find their means of support.
Upon emerging from the egg, the little caterpil¬
lar sucks and gnaws the interior of the gall,
which becomes hard, and increases in size in
proportion as the creature eats.
It is well to observe here that there are false
galls, which are equally common with those just
described. These are found on a great variety
of plants, and often are very remarkable both for
size and abundance. They are seen, however,
on fewer parts of the plant or tree than the true
galls, being almost wholly confined to the leaves
and the flowers, or the neighboring and delicate
parts. Hollow reddish protuberances may be
observed growing in abundance on the branches
of the elm, and sometimes entirely covering them.
These are the production of a different class of
insects, and, when young, are inhabited only by a
single female. In the middle of the summer,
however, hundreds of insects here find their home.
Sometimes the galls are entirely closed, and at
154
LESSONS FROM INSECT LIFE.
other times there is a communication with the ex¬
terior.
There is great diversity among the gall in¬
sects, properly so called ; but in one respect there
is an unvarying likeness. All of them lay eggs
under the outer covering of plants, and within the
substances formed over their eggs the insect
dwells, and from it derives its support.
Galls may be found on every part of a plant,
sometimes not larger than the head of a pin, and
often of considerable size. Some are juicy, and
others extremely hard. This difference in char-
Galls on a leaf.
acter seems to be dependent upon the pleasure
of the insect. On a single leaf the same insect
THE GALL INSECT.
155
will produce one gall of the former, and another
of the latter kind.
Many galls have one cavity shutting up a num¬
ber of caterpillars living in society. Others have
several small cells opening into each other. In
some cases, more than a hundred have been
observed, each containing a single caterpillar.
Other species of galls have but a single cavity,
and that is inhabited by a lonely insect.
The majority of galls increase in size very
rapidly. Those of the largest species attain their
full growth in a few days, and even, as it often
appears, before the caterpillar issues from the
egg; so that when it does come forth, it finds
its lodging already prepared. These little crea¬
tures grow very rapidly, but they remain in the
gall five or six months. Some pass into the
chrysalis state in the gall, from which they escape
in the perfect form after making a small hole in
it. Others quit the gall to enter the earth until
they have reached the perfect state.
A very simple and common form of these nests
for the young insects may be observed on the
leaves of various trees during the summer
156
LESSONS FROM INSECT LIFE.
months. A berry-like substance, of a green
color, tinged with red, may be seen on the
willow, the poplar, and the rose-bush. Let one
of these be cut open, and it will be found the
dwelling of an egg or a caterpillar.
Nor is winter without a similar provision for
inferior creatures. There is, for example, an in¬
sect which feeds on the sweet violet, and is de¬
fended in a remarkable manner by a gall from
cold, and all external enemies and injuries.
Sometimes in the summer or autumn, the par-
THE GALL INSECT.
157
ent insect lays its eggs on or in the growing
shoot of the violet. When these are hatched,
the caterpillars cut their way into the soft parts
of the plant, which, thus having its juices inter¬
rupted, bulges out around the little creatures,
which thus find an abode. Here they live dur¬
ing the coldest of weather, and with an abundance
Currant Galls.
of food, and when the summer comes they issue
forth as perfect insects. There are, also, winter
158
LESSONS FROM INSECT LIFE.
retreats for caterpillars in many other plants, ar¬
ranged in various ways.
Galls present great varieties of form. The
most common ones are rounded. Many have
received from their color the names of certain
fruit which they resemble. Thus, some speci¬
mens found on the oak, are called apple, goose¬
berry, or pippin galls. Many galls also resemble
fruit in their spongy or porous nature. Among
those of a round form, some are fixed directly
upon the plant, while others are attached by a
short stem. The currant galls are represented
in the preceding engraving.
Many galls appear to be a portion of the plant,
swollen and thickened; such are those seen on
the willow and osier. Various vegetables, and
their different parts, exhibit these curious sub¬
stances differently figured upon the surface.
There is a species of fibrous gall which is very
remarkable. It is as large as an apple, and is
covered with long reddish threads. It appeal's
on the eglantine, or wild rose, which sometimes
bears three or four of them.
This engraving represents the exterior of the
THE GALL INSECT.
159
Gall of the Wild Kose
gall of the wild rose; while the following one
shows the interior, with the caterpillars and the
perfect insect.
Interior of the Gail on the Eglantine; three representations of the
caterpillar, and the perfect insect with its auger.
The same shrub presents a still rarer species
which grows at the ends of the branches, where
160 LESSONS FROM INSECT LIFE.
it forms a mass composed of a dozen little galls
of various forms.
We will not sfop to describe the gall of the
ground-ivy, the sage gall, or that of the birch,
but will pass on to the gall of the field-cirsium.
This is merely an enlargement of the stem of
that plant, and was formerly in high repute, be¬
cause when carried in the pocket it was con¬
sidered a sovereign remedy against bleeding.
THE GALL INSECT-
161
fast disappearing before the light of religion and
science.
The oak has the greatest number of galls.
Some have the form of little apples, detached
or united; others are prickly; some are branched,
and others resemble little artichokes or mush¬
rooms. Many times some of the leaves are laden
with small rough galls which appear like buds,
while other leaves of the same tree have galls
which are similar in form to an open goblet.
These are flattened even, or crisp, and the sub¬
stance is woody or spongy, according to the lo¬
cality in which the egg was deposited.
APPLES OF SODOM.
Perhaps the reader has met with some account
of the far-famed apples, growing
“ Near that bituminous lake where Sodom stood.”
Tacitus and Josephus mention these “apples of
Sodom,” and describe them as beautiful to the eye,
but crumbling, when touched, to dust and bitter
ashes. Many later writers consider their state¬
ment unfounded, while others, admitting the fact,
11
162
LESSONS FROM INSECT LIFE.
have endeavored to account for it in various ways.
One author supposes the apple referred to, to be
the pomegranate. This has a hard tough rind,
and when left upon the tree two or three years,
the inside becomes dried to dust, while the outside
remains fair. Another writer thinks these apples
to be the fruit of a species of cotton-tree; while a
third tells us that the shrub which bears it grows
two or three leagues from the mouth of the Jor¬
dan. He says it is thorny, with small tapering
leaves, and that its fruit is similar to the little
Egyptian lemon, both in size and color. Before
it is ripe, it is filled with a corrosive and saline
juice. When dried, it yields a blackish seed
which may be compared to ashes, and which in
taste resembles pepper.
Still another traveler found in a thicket, about
half a mile from the plain of Jericho, a shrub five
or six feet high, on which grew clusters of fruit
about the size of a small apricot, of a bright yel¬
low color, which contrasting with the delicate verd¬
ure of the foliage, seemed, to use his own words,
“ like the union of gold with emeralds.”
The marvelous fruit, which has led to so much
THE GALL INSECT.
163
discussion, appears at last, however, to be the
work of one of the gall insects. Some specimens
have lately been brought home by a traveler iu
the Holy Land. The tree which pi*oduces these
galls grows in abundance on the mountains in the
neighborhood of the Dead Sea, and is about the
size of our common apple-trees. The fruit is of
a rich purple color, and varnished with a soft sub¬
stance of the consistency of honey, and it shine9
with a brilliant luster in the sun, and has a very
delicious and inviting appearance.
Apple of Sodom.
The accompanying engraving represents one
of these apples.
This traveler tasted the fruit, and found it in
164 LESSONS FROM INSECT LIFE.
reality “as bitter as gall.” It is pear-shaped,
with a circle of small sharp-pointed protuberances
on its upper part. In each gall there is an open¬
ing through which the insect escapes from a small
round hole in the center, where it has lodged.
Many galls are merely objects of curiosity.
But there is one of great value, well known in
commerce, and which abounds in Asia Minor,
Syria, and Persia. It has no smell, but a bit-
THE GALL INSECT.
165
ter and astringent taste, and is much used in the
manufacture of ink. It is nearly round, and va¬
ries from the size of a pea to that of a hazel-nut.
When good, it is of a black or deep olive color.
Galls of this species are heavy, and break with
a flinty fracture. They are known in commerce
as white, blue, and green galls. The white are
those which have not been gathered until the in¬
sect has made its escape. They are lighter than
the others, and do not command so high a price;
The blue and green galls are gathered while
the insect is still shut up within its little home.
These are much heavier than the white, and are
said to yield about one third more useful coloring
matter.
How many of the readers of this book have
ever thought of their great indebtedness to these
galls ? Every child knows the use of ink, but
how many know that we are dependent, in a
great measure, upon insects for this indispen¬
sable fluid? How have the little creatures en¬
abled us to converse with our absent friends, how¬
ever distant they may be from us ! How they
have contributed to our wisdom, our happiness,
166
LESSONS FROM INSECT LIFE.
our temporal and even eternal welfare, by speak¬
ing to us from the printed page! The human
voice can be heard but a short distance, but the
pen sends forth “ winged words ” to the ends of
the earth. It has been justly said that “ the pen
is mightier than the sword; ” and especially is
this true at the present day, when the world is
governed more by great principles than by physi¬
cal force. How important it is, then, that our
pens should convey nothing that can scatter the
seeds of vice or immorality, but that everything
emanating from us, whether it be in the spoken
word, or the written page, should be sanctified to
the service and glory of God! Paul says, “ Let
no corrupt communication proceed out of your
mouth, but that which is good to the use of edify¬
ing, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.”
If we apply this same precept to the work of our
pens, we may prove a blessing to the world,
and God will be honored and glorified in our
fires.
Several years ago, a poet g«tve to the world
some pleasing thoughts concerning ink. He had
been solicited to write an essay for a lady’s port-
THE GALL INSECT.
167
folio. After describing the first page of his paper
“ as white and smooth, and empty as air,” he says,
“ I turned to the inkstand, and looked into it, like
JEsop’s thirsty crow into the pitcher with a drop
of water at the bottom, which the sagacious bird
raised to the brim by dropping pebble after peb¬
ble into it. But my difficulty was not to bring
the ink out of the stand, but the meaning out of
the ink. Ah! quoth I, gently shaking it, here
lies the quintessence of all science, all art, all in¬
vention, all expression. This drop of ink could
speak all languages, display all knowledge, detect
all sophistry. There is not a thought which the
heart of man can conceive, or a word which the
lips can utter, but it is here, absolutely in my
hand, before my eyes; yet I am so blind, or so
stupid, that I can discern nothing but a decoction
of nut-galls and copperas. Oh that I had a chem¬
ical test, whereby I might analyze this little
fluid, and learn, not what it is made of, but what
might be made of it!
“I am too dull, at present, to fish up a single
idea from the bottom. Yet if ten thousand people
were to sit down to the experiment, each one
168
LESSONS FROM INSECT LIFE.
would produce something different from every
other; and were they all to record their thoughts
in this ink, with this pen, on this paper, their
themes, their thoughts, their diction, would appear
as diverse as their faces, their voices, and their
handwriting.”
The pen may be used for good or evil. Cow-
per says,—
“The sacred implement I now employ,
Might prove a mischief, or, at best, a toy;
A trifle, if it were but to amuse;
But, if to wrong the judgment and abuse,
Worse than a poniard in the basest hand,
It stabs at once the morals of the land.”
How great is the responsibility of those who
furnish reading matter for the young! And how
delightful is the task of implanting in the minds
of thousands of readers, germs of thought and
action, which in after-years shall bring forth glo¬
rious fruit 1
To communicate valuable knowledge, especially
that which is calculated to lead the heart, under
a sense of sin, to the only Saviour, is indeed to
use the pen aright. For such a service great
THE GALL INSECT.
169
genius is not required ; — persons of humble pow¬
ers may in this way be useful.
An old writer has said, — “ The letter from a
Christian friend which has nothing about Christ
in it, is not worth the postage, although it stated
that he who received it was entitled to a valuable
estate.”
Let it be the concern of every reader, first to
obtain, in the exercise of faith, a personal interest
in that Saviour, who died the just for the unjust,
and then, by all the means that can be employed,
using, of course, judgment and discretion, urge
others to seek and find him. A sentence, a few
words, even a single word, often has been ren¬
dered effectual, by the Holy Spirit, to a sinner’s
salvation.
u A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in
pictures of silver.”
CHAPTER II.
Love of Colors. — Ornament. — Superstitious Practice. —
Joseph’s Coat. — Purple. — The Kermes. — Gathering of
Kermes.— The Cochineal. — Accidental Discovery of
Scarlet, Gobelin Tapestries. — Lac.— Value of the Insect
Tribes. — Gratitude to God.
From the earliest times, mankind has shown a
great love for colors, and in his dress has imitated
the brilliant hues displayed by nature in the plum¬
age of birds, in flowers, crystals, and shells, and
in the tints of the morning and evening sky.
The love of ornament is common to all. So
strong is this feeling, that savage people, when
without clothes, have been accustomed, as is well
known, to paint their bodies in a variety of colors.
It has sometimes been said that the “ coat of
many colors ” made by Jacob for his son Joseph,
proves that dyeing was known at that early pe¬
riod. This is by no means the case. It is proba¬
ble that this tunic, made for the patriarch’s much¬
loved child, was formed of differently colored
THE GALL INSECT.
171
pieces joined together to produce an agreeable
effect. In India, it is still a custom to present a
favorite or beautiful child with a “ coat of many
colors,” the various portions of which are often
very tastefully sewed together. This custom has
a superstitious origin ; for the people believe that,
if a child is clothed with a many-colored coat,
he will be injured by neither tongues nor evil
spirits.
Although it is not certain that Joseph’s coat
was dyed, it must be admitted that, as most of the
materials suitable to be manufactured into cloths
are dull and somber in their colors, any hint
would naturally be seized with eagerness to obvi¬
ate the unpleasant monotony. The effects pro¬
duced by the juices of plants and fruits, and also
by rain upon certain kinds of earth and minerals,
might furnish suggestions that would be turned
to account.
It is doubtless true that in all countries there
are substances of various kinds capable of pro¬
ducing great diversity in the appearance of cloths.
Still there must have been, in the early ages,
great difficulty in ascertaining how they were to
172
LESSONS FROM INSECT LIFE.
be used. Many experiments must have been
made, and many disappointments experienced,
before any success could be obtained.
Frequent reference is made in the sacred and
uninspired writings to the color of purple. The
preference given to it as a royal color may be
accounted for, in part, by its richness, and also by
its great value in ancient times. It is associated
with the monarehs of by-gone days, and with the
services offered by the heathen to their idols. In
the book of Exodus, too, it is frequently men¬
tioned in connection with the dress of the high-
priest, and the decorations of the tabernacle.
It is important to observe, however, that the
word purple, in ancient writings, does not denote
one particular color, or shade of color. Pliny
mentions the difference apparent in some of the
purples. One was faint, approaching to our scar¬
let, and considered of inferior value; another was
a deeper red; and a third was still deeper and
richer.
It is stated that when the beautiful purple of
Tyre was first discovered, it was appropriated by
the sovereign to whom it was presented as a royal
THE GALL INSECT.
173
distinction. This seems to have been of the deep¬
est tinge, referred to by Pliny. The Tyrian pur¬
ple was not, in fact, one particular color, but a
class of animal dyes, as distinguished from those
which were vegetable, and varying from the
faintest to the intensest hue.
No doubt exists as to the means by which these
colors were obtained. In addition to the dye pro¬
duced by a mollusk, called the murex, a crimson
or scarlet color was in ancient times produced by
an insect called kermes by the Arabs, kokkos by
the Greeks, and thola by the Phoenicians. It is
now known as the coccus ilicis. From the name
first mentioned, are derived our words carmine
and crimson. The curtains of the Jewish Taber¬
nacle are supposed to have been dyed by means
of kermes. The brilliant reds of the Flemish
tapestries were obtained in the same way. Dur¬
ing the Middle Ages, the name vermiculatum was
applied to the insect producing this color, and
thence we derive our word vermilion.
174
LESSONS FROM INSECT LIFE.
The female of the kermes attains the size and
form of a pea. Its color is a violet-black, and its
body is covered with a whitish powder. This
species is common over the south of Europe, on
the evergreen oak, and seems to be widely distrib¬
uted over many of the south-eastern countries of
the ancient world. It abounds in Spain, where
it attaches itself chiefly to the twigs and leaves
of a small spiny-leaved species of the same tree.
The precise time of the laying of the eggs is
not generally known, as the female usually
covers them with her body. Some species, how¬
ever, cover but a portion. The eggs of the latter
THE GALL INSECT.
175
are deposited in a mass of silk or cotton threads,
whitish in color, and often mistaken for the eggs
of spiders. These threads, covering the nest of
eggs, are worked into a rounded shape on the
upper side. When lightly touched, the mass at¬
taches itself to the fingers, and a great number of
threads are removed. The coloring matter is not
spun, but escapes from under the shell.
Pigeons are said to be very fond of the kermes,
and during the harvest-time it is necessary to watch
them carefully. The peasants of certain districts
in France, and those of some other countries,
collect every year precious crops of kermes.
These are more or less abundant according to the
mildness or severity of the winter. Should the
season pass away without fogs or frosts, the har¬
vest is good. The oldest trees, and those that
appear the least vigorous and are the least culti¬
vated, are most heavily laden with kermes. The
soil also contributes to their bulk and the bright¬
ness of their color. The insects which come from
shrubs near the sea are larger and of a more brill¬
iant color than those which are found upon trees
more remote.
176 LESSONS FROM INSECT LIFE;
The harvest of kermes is gathered by women.
They remove the insects from the shrubs with
their nails, and one woman can gather two pounds
in a day. Oftentimes there are two harvests in
a year. In the second, the insects are attached to
the leaves, but the crop is neither so large nor so
valuable as the first.
When gathered, the kermes are wet with vin¬
egar, in order to remove easily the pulp or red
powder they contain. They are then washed in
wine, and, after being dried in the sun, are pol¬
ished by rubbing them in a sack, after which they
are packed away, mixed with a quantity of their
own powder. The price of the kermes depends
upon the quantity of powder which they yield.
The best powder is that which comes out of the
hole which is on the side where the kermes is
fixed to the tree. Before the discovery of cochi¬
neal, the kermes was the insect universally used
for dyeing the most brilliant red then known.
But it has now been supplanted in a great degree
in Europe, although in India and Persia it is still
used.
THE GALL INSECT.
177
COCHINEAL.
The cochineal insect is a different species from
the kermes. While the latter is called the coccus
ilicis , being found on the oak-tree, the former is
called the coccus cacti , the cactus-plant being its
chosen home.
The history of the cochineal insect was for a
long time very obscure, and the species employed
in commerce was even at one time considered as
a kind of grain.
It was only toward the close of the seventeenth
century that the insect origin was discovered.
These valuable creatures are natives of Mexico,
where they were cultivated long before the Euro¬
pean conquest of that country. There are sev¬
eral varieties, named from the provinces where
they are raised. Of these, the one called Mas-
tique, or Mesteque, is considered the best. This
insect is reared on a shrub called the nopal by
the Indians, but known to us as the cactus. The
nopal is a plant consisting of little stems, and,
when in a flourishing state, its buds are furnished
with multitudes of little prickles. It expands
12
The Nopal, on which cochineal insects are feeding. The male, on the
left, and the female, oil the right, are magnified.
The cochineal insect is so valuable, and minis¬
ters so much to the gratification of the eye, that
the reader will expect a fuller description than
the simple facts just stated.
The females have a small, short, and almost
conical beak, placed between the first and second
THE GALL INSECT.
179
pair of feet, which contains a sucker, composed
of three pieces, and which is inclosed in a four-
jointed sheath. Through this tube they draw
forth the juices of the leaves and tender stems.
They also fasten themselves, from time to time,
to some part of the plant, in order to change their
skin; and, after arriving at a certain size, they
become attached to some chosen spot, where they
form a little nest, protected by a tapestry of cot¬
ton.
When the insect has attained what is called its
perfect state, it is filled with a multitude of very
small eggs.
The egg-laying is a curious process. They
do not appear externally, but are made to pass
beneath the body, and between it and the cot¬
ton tapestry. As, however, the insect becomes
empty, the lower surface of the body approaches
the upper, and leaves beneath the body a kind of
arch to receive the eggs. The female never
moves from her place, but, having laid her eggs,
she dies, and her body, shriveling up and harden¬
ing, becomes a covering for the young when they
are hatched. As soon as this takes place, the
180 LESSORS FROM INSECT LIFE.
little insects work their way from the dead body
of their parent.
The young of both sexes, on first leaving the
egg, are rather active, and run about among the
leaves and branches of the cacti. So small, how¬
ever, are they at that time that they can not be
seen without a microscope. They are flat, ovular,
and without wings, and have short and indistinct
antennae, or feelers.
The caterpillars of the males are much fewer
than those of the other sex, although by no
means rare. As they have no sucker like the
females, their mode of support is not clearly
known; but they increase in size, and, after a
time, their skin hardens, and serves as a cocoon.
From this they pass into the chrysalis state.
The natives of the districts where these insects
are reared, cultivate plantations of the cactus.
This plant grows freely from cuttings, which are
fit to receive the insects in eighteen months. A
few females are placed in a small nest, formed of
tufts of a thread-like substance gathered generally
from a species of palm. This is done about the
middle of October, at which time fine weather
THE GALL INSECT.
181
usually succeeds the rains. Nests of this kind
are attached to the spines of the plant, on the
side facing the rising sun. The eggs are soon
laid and hatched. As each female produces up¬
ward of a thousand young, a large colony is soon
obtained. It is said that six generations are
produced in a year. A small number of cochi¬
neals is sufficient for each plant, which, as it in¬
creases its leaves, is sure to be covered with the
insects. When the cactus is well saturated, they
are scraped off with great care; but only the
female is used in dyeing, as its color is much
more beautiful than that of the male.
The insects are first collected about the mid¬
dle of December, and are removed from the tree
by a knife with a blunted edge. As soon as this
is done, the nests are taken away, and the dead
females picked off. These are lighter and of
less value than those which are removed alive,
the former losing more than the latter by drying.
Each kind may, however, be kept for any length
of time without further loss. Those taken off
alive are killed by dipping the basket containing
them into boiling water, or by placing them in a
182
LESSONS FROM INSECT LIFE.
hot oven, or on plates of hot iron. The first
method secures the best color.
The cochineal arrives in the United States
and Europe in the form of a small grain, having
a convex and a concave side, and possessing some
traces of the segments of the body of an insect.
The tincture of cochineal alone yields a purple
color, not very agreeable, but which may be made
a most beautiful scarlet by a solution of tin in
aqua regia. This was discovered by a singular
accident. A person having placed in his win¬
dow an extract of cochineal, made with boiling
water for the purpose of filling a thermometer,
some aqua regia dropped from a vial broken by
accident, which stood above it, and changed the
purple dye into an elegant dark red. Subse¬
quent experiments showed that the tin deposited
in the aqua regia caused the change. An in¬
genious dyer at Leyden brought the discovery
to perfection. The secret afterwards became
known, and a large dye-house was erected by
the celebrated Giles Gobelin, at Paris, and hence
the origin of the famous Gobelin tapestry.
About the year 1643, a Fleming, named Kep-
THE GALL INSECT.
183
ler, established the first dye-house for scarlet in
England at the village of Bow, from which fact,
scarlet was for some time in that country called
Bow-dye.
Another remarkable product of insects of the
same species is lac. It is collected from various
trees in India, where it so abounds, that it could
be readily supplied to ten times the amount now
used. It is manufactured into beads, rings, and
other similar ornaments. Added to lamp- or
ivory-black, after being dissolved in water con¬
taining a little borax, it makes an ink, which,
when dry, is not easily acted upon by dampness
or by water. In its native state, adhering to
the twigs, it is called stick-lac. When separated,
pounded, and freed from the greater part of the
coloring matter, it is called seed-lac. When
melted, and made into cakes, lump-lac; and
when stained, and made into transparent plates,
shell-lac. It was for a time chiefly employed in
varnishes, japanned ware, and sealing-wax, but
recently it is very extensively used for dyeing
scarlet.
In closing this description of an insect so
184
LESSONS FROM INSECT LIFE.
little known and yet so well entitled to our at¬
tention, we are reminded of an obligation to God
for the many ways in which he ministers to our
pleasures and our necessities. This insect, ap¬
parently so insignificant and unworthy of notice,
has contributed more to the arts and sciences
than any other. It decorates our clothing and
tapestry with pleasing colors; it gives perma¬
nent utterance to the emotions of the heart and
the workings of the mind. We have thus an¬
other illustration of the truth that God has made
every thing for some good purpose, and that
each creature has its own place to fill in the
great plan of creation. We are taught our mu¬
tual dependence ; that blessings come to us from
a thousand unsuspected sources, that unity of
design characterizes all created things, and that
the chief end of our existence is to glorify God
as He is manifest in the kingdoms both of na¬
ture and of grace. How humble we should be
in the presence of our Maker, when even an
insect is necessary for our happiness.
“Pride, the never-failing vice of fools,”
should have no place in the heart of man. All
THE GALL INSECT.
185
things teach us humility, by which, with the
fear of the Lord, are riches, honor, and life.
“ The bird that soars on highest wing,
Builds on the ground her lowly nest;
And she that doth most sweetly sing,
Sings in the shade when all things rest.
The saint that wears heaven’s brightest crown,
In deepest adoration bends;
The weight of glory bows him down,
Then most, when most his soul ascends;
Nearest the Throne itself must be
The footstool of humility.”
THE END.
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