Dallas herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1849-1873, 1872-07-06

AmDnt lho nnny gfno"Iul llinya
IN nplnfo nnnoiicod W. ninety nino
out N 10 hundred pomons, afc tho
olognntly enHy ontillion pnllios ~
ihc nnnis Tue, tho aGiora 30 ~
move on "liglt, fantastic toe,
they are too ethereal lor llut- bat
ON tho wing nor aro they paired
nH into couples, for each toclnS TO
act independently OF every other,
vet IN concert with the rcat nor Is
The rot confined 10 eight or eighty
or even eight hundred, but ~ as
numerous sometimes as n swarm oi
bees but no one can watch lholr
movements without being convlnc'
ed that they are engaged in amuSc.
mcnl, and that, 80 far rs is posbl-
hlo tor gnats, tho Amusement IL u
dance.
Nor is this amusement coniiucd
10 any che species, but extends
through tho whole CUier family,
from the almost invisible sand ny,
tho jruiot, or burning ~, Of cur
Southern scaboard aud Of tho west
Indies tho most vcnOm0us crCa-
,urc, for its size, in existence to
tho gallinippor, or gigantic boltcd
inusouito that fortunately for hu-
man comfort, confines himself usu-
ually TO the dark swamp or uncul.
tiva,cd wild, and may be observed
practiscd sometimes by vinegar.
gnats, housc-nics, ichncnmon flies
and others.
Their G,vor.to time for indulg-
ing this sport is in tho warm sea-
son fire year, whom tho sunscnds
his rays aslunt through the moist
air, before the day is wholly OK
hailed in the morning, or after the
evening dampa arc preparing TO
descend. Then II person, with an
ego for such things, may discover
them over almost every quarter Of
an aero of tho worlds surface, some
times a dozen parties of pleasure,
of various numbers, within the linn
It's ofan ordinary garden, wheeling
ioyously around their contors, as il
eager to throw off some Of the cXu-
borancc Of life.
Looking at thom simply as OBJ
iocts in motion, without seeking to
know their species or their aims,
the eye is charmed with an endless
variety ofgracefdl movements. The
actors arc 80 swift that it is impos'
siblo to distinguish their forms or
to more than guess at their sizo
Nothing is discerniblc but multi
tude of silver liko stroalis which
mark tho several tracks, and COM
bino to form a kind Of gauzy tissue
in the air.
The tracks arc all moro or less
circular and involved, no two hav-
ing the Same plano of revolution,
but inclined TO each other at every
angle, while they all recognize II
general confer that is by no means
fixed, some of The gyrations being
horizontal, somo vertical, some OBJ
liquc, while many of them are in Il
direction. the reverse Of the MAORI
IS.
Sometimes, as ifby universal CON
sont, the animated globe suddenly
expands TO many timos its former
diameter, making ono think OF an
explosion then, after u few sec
o. Dis, or perhaps moro than min
ute, the mass contracts TO its nor
mai dimensions. Sometimes, again,
the movers 30 reduce thoir several
orbits us to seem almost compact
mass; while the rapidly of motion
continues the Same, rs is attcstcd
by,tile sivcr-liko streak, and you
sro puzzled TO conceive, how they
manage. to move without coIllding
indeed, you look confidently to SOC
some of them Tutoring with bro.
ken wing to tho earth but they
never fall, they never collide, Their
exceeding quickncss of motion is
such that, it is said, they can glide
unwet between the drops of falling
rain when ovcr,akon by shower,
and, after thc-rain iso7cr, that they
,,..Il .,.,o @c,.ntl,,,, NO hnFnra