Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1861-12-20
MISCEIIANY Y.
Insect Appetite.


mile long, and palate all the way, might
envy the feas performed in the world Of
Some insects are endowed
with an appetite so keen, and digestion so
rapid, that they eat necessarily throughout
the whole Of their lives. They begin as
soon as they are born, and 90 steadily on
till they die. Their existence is feast,
without change or a pause between the
courses. Morning, noon and night their
mouths are full, and an endless procession
of favorite food gratifies the unwearied pal
ate. They know not the names of meals.
Breakfast commences with infancy, and
their only after-dinuer nap is passage TO
another state of existence. This is gem
orally the case with grubs, where the eggs
from which they are produced are laid in
the food on which they live. Thus they
lose no time when they come into the world
Everything is prepared for them. Their
work is to eat they have no other calling.
talk of a pig In natural state he has to
bestir himself to get victuals. His intel
lect is exercised in searching for the where
abouis of acorns, snails, and what not. Be-
sides, society expects him occasionally TO
lie in the sun and grunt. Many hours Of
his youth are spent in spasmodic gambols
with his little brothers and sisters. Unless
shut up, and supplied by man, he never
grows fat. A COW, certainly, contrives TO
fill up good deal oG her time in gratifying
the sense of taste. What with bona fde
eating, and then material review of that
process, with her eyes shut she makes the
most Of a mouthful.
But for steady, consistent application,
commmend me 10 a grub. While in that
state, the quantity of food consumed BY in
secs is vastly greater, in proportion to
their bulk, than that required by larger an
imals. Some catcrpillars eat their weight Of
leaves daily-which is as If man Of twelve
stone were 10 get through something over
two hundred legs of mutton in the course
Of week. There are Larvae, however,
who distance the caterpillars. The mag
gots or flesh flies have been known actually
to treble their weight in half an hour. As
might possibly be expected, these animals
in the next stage of their existence, which
- -, n,,t.i;,,..,aI as boc.ra !, u,os ,gross ant
very little. The greedy caterpillar, when
become bu.,eray d'Ps the t;p of its tongue
in honey and the maggot itself when
transformed into fy is content with an &c.
casional whet of his proboscis. But there
are many insects in state higher than that
Of vulgar larve who distinguish them
selves at table. The ant-lion win deyour
daily an animal of its own size. Fancy
the Fusilecr Guards eating up the Len
don Scottish" at meal. But though these
Heliogabali are so greedy, their powers Of
abstinence are equal TO their appetite. In
stances are given in that charming book,
a Entomology" by Kirkby and Spence, of
spider being made to fast, without injury,
for ten months, and Of beetle kept alive
for three years without food. Another
writer, a foreigner, tells US of mite, which
be gummed alive to the point of needle,
and placed before his microscope, and adds
that it took eleven weeks TO die.
The quality of animal food is also as re-
markable as the quantity they consume.
There is hardly anything which some one
or other Of this extensive family of living
creatures will not eat. Man, indeed, is al
most omniyorous by artificial means he is
enabled to prepare food from. vast variety
Of animal and vegetable matter; but the
other large animals are generally confined
to the leaves, fruit and seeds of plants.
Not so insects. Some live upon the leaf.
some eat their way into the heart OF the
solid wood. others prefer the pith, while
few will touch nothing but bark. The bee
selects honey, but there are little creatures
who get their living head over ears in vim
egar.
1t is questioned whether the power OF
:" eating dirt be not a prerogative OF man
out some insects have tastes more gross
even than such diet suggests. There is
a race of them, much persecuted but very
useful. / mean cockroaches, who are
kitchen scavengers. They come out Of
their holes when the frowzy cook has gone
to bed, and clear up every little scrap OF
grease and fat she dropped upon the floor
around the CRATE. When shut out of the
places where food is kept, they do positive
GOOD. though it must be confessed they are
rather unprepossessing sculiery maids, and
their fear of the light makes one naturally
suspect their motives.
Other insects, however, which attach
themselves TO our household are unequivo-
cal nuisances. Sill it is curious TO see an
imals finding relish in such dry victuals
as cloth. hair, and the ike. There is one
kind. too, which not only manages 10 ti'l ITS
belly with h~rn, but thinks il quite prime
d;sb of those who feed upon flesh. some (