Vandalia Whig and Illinois intelligencer. [volume] (Vandalia, Ill.) 1832-183?, 1832-10-10
Extracts from the North American Review.
HABITS OF in ECTS.

zach more so in former times when their habits
md persons were less Familiarity known. Men
had not began to ask from whence hey came, nor
hither they were going; but they found them
hen they least desired their company, and there
gas sort of mystery in their movements, which,
re than nythng else, tends to inspire the feel
| gof dread. 1t was on this account that they
re first distinguished by the name bug, which,
h wever it may have degenerated into watch-
rd of contempt at the present day, was former
| synonymous with ghost or specific, and equally
| iarming. The passage of scripture from The
Psalms, "Thou shalt not need to be afraid Of any
aug by nigh,o as it stood in Matthew's old Eng
iish Bible, is probably known to our readers La.
| .riranslators have judiciousy substituted more
general xord in its sead. But even now, consid-
ring their power to destroy our peace, there is
-,me reason to fear them, and were there nothing
else formidable about them, their numbers are
efficiently alarming When we hear their CON
| eri summer evening, it sounds as if every
| eaf and every blade of grass had found voice
though, in fact, there is voice in the natter
They deal wholly in instrumental music; some
have heard voice like sounds proceeding from a
moth occasionally, but their concert,-great ma
tire's hum,-is produced by rubbing he hard
shells of the wings against the trunk together,
which makes sharp and shri sound, that can
'e heard at considerable distance. The hum
If insects on the wing be heard when the per-
former is invisible. We remember, that once
anding in a summer day on The top of high
|hl, we heard sound as OF million of bees d.
recty over our head, when not an insect, viii h
could be held responsible for any nolse was with
in our view Such cases are not uncommon, and
he only exploitation is, that the authors OF he sound
i -
impression that it is nigh.
We will suggest some advantages of an ac-
qlaintance with This subJecl we mean ID genera
ldcquaintance, such as popular works are calcutta
led to give. For example, the Insect called he
deaih-watch was formerly thought to SOUND III
diarm of death to some Inmate Oh the mansion
where it was heard, thongh it would have required
ii perpetual cholera to have fulfilled halt the num-
Der Of his productions. Now, ii is known to pro-
coed from little wood boring Insect, whose skuf
IS somewhat hard, and who uses II or The purpose
signal to others. Standing on lis hind legs,
i, beats regularly On The board numAer Of times,
process, which, comparlngI force with the SIZE
81 the insect, one would think more likely 10 ue
fatal to iisef than those who hear 1t. The
Dug, well known IN conneAlnn with SOS
dreams and summers ugh y when I was fist I'M
alarm not Wholly sup rstltlous ana anreasonanie,
when we remember how oilen Ii has 'mlrdere4
The sleep OF the Jun cent as we DIS he guilty ;"
| Ii we may believe David Dean, he Scotch be
vail lis introduction among them OF In
Ie,Is OF the Union, AMI Tor ha reiiso distinguish
Ii by he name Of Engiish Dug. Ihe history "a
the Hesslan fly, which made lis appearance ne
close oI the American wal, AMI which certaIa
L. lypu Dt,,,u \, a. Il a,
,ur separation from the British u its,rlinent, IL
med the Revolution fly, shows how muah aiar.u
and trouDle ignorance oi the character .. ll,,ie
Insect may occasion. They hist appeared Ii
5 aten Island, and Spread rapidly des.roy ing the
wheat on their way. They passed The Delaware
10 ciodds, and swarmed like the Illes Vi Egypt,
liz every place where their presence was unwei-
come. The Dritisn, naturally dls,iking every
mug thai saivureu vi resoulon, were Ill great tear
esi ,hey should reach lhelr Island, aud resolved
| . prevent II, II necessary, with All The power o.
heir ilee,. The prlvy councIi sat day alter day J;
Iespaches sent 10 all he .prcIgn minis ers ;
EXPRESSES were sent 10 The cusiom houses to cose
ne ports; Sir Joseph Banks, who held such mat
ters III special char e,-as Swift SAID M. Fam
stead was once appointed " u vernment 10 look
after the stars,-was called upon to exert himself,
with such importantly, that ii sach d thing wer
posslUie, he grew anosl proiane upon he ecca-
sion. He shouted across the ocean to d. Mitch
leil, while the Doctor stood wringlug his hands
upon the western shore. When he had collected
an the Information which could De furnished by
scientific ana practical men concerning he bug
III question, amounting lo more than two hundred
octave pages, he enlightened the q vernment
With The iniormatI un, that he did not know VIVA
he creature was; report satisfactory as far IS
IL went, no doubt, but which might, for adght tina
appears, have been reduced To smaller dimensions
Ii any one could have furnished scientific de-
scriptlon oi the insect, ii might probably have
oeen arrested III depredailons, aud ii not there
would have been some consolation to men, could
hey have pointed Ii out to the Indignation ana
corn OF the world
| Our cult, aturs can furnish ilIustratonsenough
Il the evils OF ignorance IN this subject. The
Jmnon locust, robinia pSF4tacacid, whose vel
ct zeal exceeds other foliage in beauty. as much
| ; las wood exceeds that OF other trees III value,
! almost ruined in England by the lurvse of IA
noh, wh ich Is known to naturalists, but which ~
leans have yet been able to destroy. We know
"a, in plantations lately made, the ravages Of the
.-eri have cen confined to their sunny borders !;
out we greatly fear, that in a year or two, they
Ill ta,r heiri raads iu.o the heart of the groves.
| lsll SO tae trees Of this description @lten
| .... la, n, h vaV. aud surrnupd the cuttatras-