Star.
London, England, 1807-08-26 00:00:00

TO 711 E EDITOR OF THE STAR.

Ste--I perceive by your paper, that the immenfe
flight of Ladybird: which has recently appeared in
Kent, has excited your cut iofity ; and from Come
other papers I learn that the fame phenomenon has
caufed Tome degree of alarm to the fupertlitious
.06
both the great and (mall vulgar who frequent the
watering places on that coati, where it appears (6
multitudinous have been the (warms of this beautiful
infect, that the ftreets have been literally covered
with them, and the gowns of the ladies, after• an
evening's walk, (potted with them from top to but-
tom. N .w, Sir, as I. with to relieve the minds of
your fair Readers at Ramfgate, &c. from the dread
that thefe ladybirds portend a penitence, as well as
to fatisfy your more Page inquiry, allow me to com-
municate to you a feW particulars refpeding the na-
tural hidory of this infeEl ; from which it will ap.
pear that we ought to hail its battalions as we fhould
foldiers, who are on their return from a glorious
victory—at lean the hop planters of Kent ought
fr to regard them ; fur, though their crop will not
now be half a crop, but for thefe defenders it would
probably not have been a crop at all, and their
prefent numbers promife them an abundant harveft
next year.

You are to know therh.Sir, that all infeEts, as well
of the beetle, as of the bi`:tterfly trite, have, pre-
vioufly to their appearance ;in the winged nate, cliff-
ed as caterpillars or grubs. The millions of lady-
birds which latel► (warmed on the coatis of Kent
have previoutly been grubs, or larva, for that is the
snail proper name. There larva feed entirely
upon the infects, which, under the name of "the Fly,"
or " Plant Lice," have this year made filch havoc
amongtt the hops and peas ; and when it is conf►der-
ed that each larva deftroys fome hundreds of Thai
infeEts a day, for fome months, it may be eafily cal• '
culated what an immenfe number mutt have been de-
ftroyed by them, and confequently that but for their
[entices, our crops would have futtained much gtea
ter damage than they already have done. The stall
number of thefe ladybirds, which have this year ap-
peared, promife that next year their fervices will be
more effeCtual, as each female will depofit fame hun•
dreds, if not thonfands of eggs, which, when hatched
into larva, in the caning fpring, will probably be
able completely to adiroy fo many of the plant lice,
or aphides (for this is their proper name), as to pre-
vent their doing any ferious injury.
In this point of view, the (warms of lady birds
ought to be regarded as harbingers of joy by the far-
mer and hop planter, and by the vifitors at the wa-
tering places as proofs of the benevolence of the
DEITY, who has by this means provided a remedy
for the deftruCtive voracity of the aphis, whofe proli
fit powers are fo immenfe, that from one female, in
the courfe of a fummer, many hundreds of millions of
individuals may be produced ! In their perfat hate,
is beetles alfo, thefe ladybirds live upon aphides, and
thus, probably, the myriads alikh have lately sofa.
ed the coatis of Kent may have laved the hop plan.
ters froth the entire loft of their crop.
In concluding this very impede& account of this
interetting infeet, let me exprels my regret that the
negle& of the (Indy of entomology in this country
Mould have rendered it neceffary. If this moil hue-
refting (cience, which, from experience, I can de-
value to be a fource of the matt pure and inexhauf-
table delight, were attended to, as it ought to be,
and as it is on the Continent, we fhould not hear of
people's fancying a flight of ladybirds a fign of pef-
tilence or offence, or enquiring what can he the
meaning of Poch a phenomenon.
I am, Sir, your's, &c.
INTOMOLOSUS.

The Duke of NORFOLK, Baron THOMPSON, and
Judge Fleacamor, have arrived at Bath.
In the church of Aberconway, in the county of
Caernarvon, is a (lone with this remarkable iufcrip.
tion upon it :
" Here Beth the body of Nicholas Hooller.Efq. Gent, who was
the one-and fortieth child of his father, by Alice,his only wife
and the father of feven and-twenty children, by one wife. He
died the soth day of March, 1637.

An old lady refiding at Little Newcafile, in the
neighbourhood of Fithguard, in Pembrokethire, of
the age of 92, who had 101 l all her teeth Nveral years
ago, has, to the aflonithrnent of her friends, cut five
new teeth whhin the lall twelve months, and enjoys
herfell no fmall fatisfadion at being able once more
to " bite a croft"

On the 4th infant a blind man, of the name of
John pmes, of Tarpoky, near Chefler, caught an eel
with a line, out of a pit rear that place, which mea-
lured three feet feven inches longs girth nine inches,
and weighed fix pounds. The fkin, after being (Trip-
ped off, was four feet three inches long.

Saturday, a Court Martial was held at Portfmnoth,
no Mr. Robert Kidd, Aaing Mailer of his Majely's
:hip Rattler, for drunk:noels, difobcdience of orders,
infolenee, and contempt. The charges were proved,
and he was fentenced to be difmitied from the Rattler.
and fent to fuch (hip as the Commander in Chid
!hall direct.

There has been an extraordinary drought this
rummer in Holland. Many cf the refervoirs were
entirely dry, and the water in the canals was fo foul,
that it was difficult to procure a fufficient quantity
fit for domeßic purpofes.
The Cabinet of this month, (No. 6.) contains por-
traits of the Comedians QUICK and WOODWARD, ex.
quifitely engraved by Hopwond and Freeman. This
elegant periodical work is riling into ditlinginffied
celebrity. The portraits are unequalled in point of
execution, and the contents of the feveral numbers
abound with interefi, amufement, and information.
Among the other embelliffiments already given are :
Mr. Ellition, in the Honey Moon ; Henderfon, in Mac-
tab; Mrs. Pritchard, in Lady Maeletb; Mrs. Wof-
fington ; Reeve, the Compofer; Prince Hoare, Efq. ;
Beaumont; Morton the Dramatili ; Mrs. Opie ; and
Ann Catley, in Euphrofyne —This Mifcellany will in-
clude Portraits and Memoirs of all the eminent lite.
Tar, charadters, Dramatic Writers, Poets, ACiors,
Muficians, Critics, and Anil/5, living and deceafed.
An elegant and unique edition of the molt popular
Plays is annexed to the Magazine, feparately paged,
i
and llußrated with Scenes, Portraits, Biography,
and Annotations. It is indeed univerfally admitted,
that no monthly publication is condufted. upon a
more liberal plan, and with Inch determinedsel eganc
tnd fpitit.