San Andreas independent., 1856-11-08
Insects Generally.
BY DOW, JR.

Ladies and gentlemen The word IN
sect is derived, borrowed or manufactured
from the Latin, ansectoternando, which
signifies to cut almost an taco. Now, when
you see living creature, great or small,
that measures trife over nothing round
the waist, you can properly pronounce it
an insect. The wasp, perhaps, is the
purest and plainest specimen of the class
extant. The smallest insect easily dis
cernible to the nude eye is the little red
ant, that swarms in sugar boxes and de-
lights in travelling over mountains of sweet
cake. The largest of the tribe is the SYM
metrically formed ant, that is also fond Of
sweet things of every kind. All fash
ionable bellies and dandies come underline
head of insects
Bugs, ladies and gentlemen, are differ
ent from insects-though they are some
times termed such-because their mid
dies are more than middling. Hence, the
chinch, that infests your sleeping depart
ments, and depredates at the switching Cor
scratching midnight hour, is not an insect,
but little bug.
So, the elephant cannot be considered
an insect, on account of the enormity of
his walst-he is one of the big bugs.
| In museums we see insects in unbounded
variety, from a gnat-spider to a woman
giant; but they are not millionth that in
habit this emphatically living world. Ac-
cording to Professor Gasus, it would take
more than an India-rubber lifetime to count
the various species, and describe their ap-
pearances, manners, habits, customs and po-
litical opinions. Furthermore. nobody,
except me knows but trife about them /;
their metamorphoses and metaphysics are
SO deeply involved in debt, or something
else, as to render them almost impenetra-
BILE to human observation One Mr.. Myn-
heer, low Dutchman, not over four feet
across the diaphragm, devoted his whole
life, and part of his vrow's, to the col
lection and description of flies. Every
/ fly is an insect, remember, except fy-
wheel. He managed to scrape together,
in district of ten miles in circumference
and twenty in diameter, no less than 15,-
600 species; and yet, after all, he knew
no more about their habits and moral char
acter than duck does of skating.
There have been collected in Europe.
ladies aud gentlemen, $4,000 species of
insects preying on wheat-s setting board
ing-school misses and fops aside; and the
number in ireland, itself, that are found
preying on potatoes alone, exceed the
bounds of all human probability. Two
professors in Berlin lately extinguished
themselves in collecting and describing in
sects and their different dispositions that
attack forest trees. They published fifteen
large octave volunes-grew tired of their
labors, and LAY down to rest.
Insects are always Industrious When
the ant stops dumping dirt to take his din
ner, | never could ascertain. 1t takes the
hornet and the wasp every moment of their
time to make sufficient brown paper for
home purposes, without lying idle to spec
ulate upon the chances of traffic. Spiders
spin and weave, and are always on the
lookout for something to eat if they ever
sleep with their five hundred eyes, it must
be with two hundred and fifty at time
The mason-bee, to save time, partakes of
bis food on the wing as he flies the hive
with the mucklc for winter House flies
are constantly busy at something !: tickling
a jolly red nose'-learning to swim in
the milk pitcher-p Fostering the baby in
the cradle dancing aerial hornpipes over
the breakfast table-and cutting up va
rious curlicues too troublesome for descrip-
ton.
But, ladies and gentlemen, the mos
quito is the most interesting of the whole
insect tribe. Though born in cistern
and bred In q garret, he is not without a
note, as all know who have heard his mu-
seal entertoinn,ents'- ts'-and who has not?
He is something of physician, too, of the
old school-the oldest kind; for he bleeds
not only his patients, when too plethoric
Tor their own good, but their patience in
the bargain and all without extra charge.
lie presents his bill merely for forms
sake, and is off without waiting for pay
ment; but therein he differs from doctors
generally. The largest specimen of this
insect that | ever beheld was in Central
America, the latter extremity of dog-days.
10 describe him is impossible and do him
any degree Of justice. / shall only say
that his bill was about thelength and thick
ness OF ships boom, and that he wore
spectacles Of vast magnifying power to dis
cern children of twelve years of age.
lie was called by the natives the Mos
quito King, about which you have all
heard more or less, probably more; and,
therefore, shall say nothing further upon
the subject this evening.