The natural history of Selborne . , which was very hot, the people of this villagewere surprised by a shower of aphides, or smother-flies, which fell in these parts. Those that werewalking in the street at that juncture found them-selves covered with these insects, which settledalso on the hedges and gardens, blackening all thevegetables where they alighted. My annuals werediscoloured with them, and the stalks of a bed ofonions were quite coated over for six days armies were then, no doubt, in a state ofemigration, and shifting their quarters, and mighthave come, as far as we know,
The natural history of Selborne . , which was very hot, the people of this villagewere surprised by a shower of aphides, or smother-flies, which fell in these parts. Those that werewalking in the street at that juncture found them-selves covered with these insects, which settledalso on the hedges and gardens, blackening all thevegetables where they alighted. My annuals werediscoloured with them, and the stalks of a bed ofonions were quite coated over for six days armies were then, no doubt, in a state ofemigration, and shifting their quarters, and mighthave come, as far as we know, from the great hopplantations of Kent or Sussex, the wind being allthat day in the easterly quarter. They were ob-served, at the same time, in great clouds aboutFarnham, and all along the lane from Farnham toAlton.* * For various methods by which several insects shift theirquarters, see Derhams Physico-Theology. OF SELBORNE. 297 LETTER L. Dear Sir,—When I happen to visit a familywhere Gold and Silver Fishes are kept in a glass. bowl, I am always pleased with the occurrence, be-cause it offers me an opportunity of observing theactions and propensities of those beings with whomwe can be little acquainted in their natural long since I spent a fortnight at the house of afriend where there was such a vivary, to which Ipaid no small attention, taking every occasion toremark what passed within its narrow limits. Itwas here that I first observed the manner in whichfishes die. As soon as the creature sickens, thehead sinks lower and lower, and it stands, as itwere, on its head, till, getting weaker and losingall poise, the tail turns over, and at last it floats onthe surface of the water with its belly reason why fishes, when dead, swim in thatmanner is very obvious ; because, when the bodyis no longer balanced by the fins of the belly, thebroad muscular back predominates by its own 298 NATURAL HISTORY gravity, and turns the belly uppermost, as lighter,from it
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1840, booksubjectnaturalhistory, booky
