tion that remains below is a thin watery liquid, which is of a pungent acid taste, and may be easily let off by means of the spicket; this liquid is then called wigg. The cream is then fit for use. I have said above, that by a certain procefs skim-milk cheese may be made to assume the taste and consistence of creamcheeses; but I know no preparation of milk that would be so deceptious as this which I now mention; for no person could believe that it did not consist wholly of real cream that had been let stand till it became acid. Much of the goodness of this, however, depends upon the skill of the maker; as it is greatly affected by various circumstances, particularly the degree of heat to which it is subjected, and the acidity of the milk. It is eaten with sugar as a great delicacy. I have been told, that in Germany, where milk is a more favourite diet than in England, they make a great many elegant preparations from it.

[To be continued.]

N. B. To such of my readers as may be inclined to think that the agricultural department of this number exceeds its just proportion, I beg leave to remark, that this extra matter belongs more properly to the class of general physics than agriculture, and that it would of course have been placed rather under the third, or miscellaneous department of this work, bad it not been judged more proper not to separate it from the agriculture on account of the connexion.

ON THE TRANSFORMATION, &C. OF INSECTS.

[Continued from page 265.]

The Earwig.

To the Editor of Recreations in Agriculture, &c. 1

SIR,

THE flattering attention paid to my first little essay has emboldened me to trouble you again with a few thoughts that have occurred to me in my favourite pursuit, the study of Entomology; and I am induced to do it, rather from a hope that a few imperfect hints may excite more able observers to finish the subjects, than from a vain idea that any superficial knowledge of my own should prove useful to the public. The Swedes, the French, and the Germans, have far outstripped us in this path of knowledge; not that I think they have more intrinsic information on the subject than my own countrymen; but they appear lefs diffident, and more eager to communicate their discoveries. Few indeed are the writ ers on the history, economy, and various transformations of insects, the principal works being generally confined to system and clafsification, which, although extremely useful in their way, have yet been too much multiplied of late, while the more efsential part, the attention to their habits and mode of living, has been almost totally neglected. To attend insects minutely from their first bursting from the egg, and follow them through their several metamorphoses until they arrive

an arduous, but in many cases an impracticable task; and therefore some of our most common insects are totally unknown in their primary or larva state. The Musca domestica, or common house fly, is a singular instance of this; for very few are acquainted with that animal in its larva state, or even know on what it feeds, or what situations it inhabits; and yet the fly itself towards autumn becomes a pest in most houses. The Cinex lectularius, or bed bug, that loathsome, and yet common inhabitant of great cities, is known by experience to propagate and increase beyond all bounds, if not frequently sought after and killed, so that a bug-destroyer is become a trade of some consequence, and ranks at least with the rat-catcher, and other destroyers of vermin; but common as this insect is, and tormenting to many thousands of people, not one in a thousand, I will venture to say, knows any thing of its habits and changes, or can distinguish between the larva, the pupa, and the perfect insect. As a noxious animal the discrimination is unnecessary, and therefore may be considered merely as a matter of curiosity rather than of use; although it is probable, that what may be poisonous to the larva will have no effect on the perfect insect, and vice versa. Another very common and destructive insect, and which I propose to treat of in this essay, is the Forficula auricularia, of the scientific authors, by the French called Le Perce Oreille, by the Swedes Oremask, which signifies the worm of the ear, and by the English earwig. The form of this insect, added to a mistaken idea respecting it, which I shall mention in the sequel, may be a principal cause of its being so little attended to,

and yet we have few insects more deserving attention. I presume many of your readers will be much surprised to find that the earwig is furnished with wings, that those wings are large and beautiful, and that one of them when extended would nearly cover the whole insect; but such is the fact, and the insect may frequently be taken on the wing at certain seasons of the year. I shall endeavour to condense what has been' said by other authors, and add some few observations of my own respecting this insect, being very anxious to induce some intelligent' person who lives in the country to pursue the subject.

The insects of this genus are well distinguished by the pincers or forceps which they bear at the end of their abdomens, and from which the name of Forficula has been given to them. The remarkable name of Perce Oreille, or, as we call it, earwig, originated from an idea that it introduced itself into the ears, and from thence penetrates to the brain, and occasions death. But M. Geoffrey justly observes that those who are acquainted with anatomy know the impofsibility of such an introduction into the scull, because there is no opening which communicates with it; and that author is of opinion that the fright of some person, who by chance had one of these insects in hist ear, had given rise to this vulgar error. I am inclined to think, however, that there has been some more satisfactory reason, which is at present lost; since it bears a similar name in three different countries, and in three different languages. With respect to the pincers which the earwig carries at its tail, and with

thor observes, that they are not so formidable as they appear to be at first sight, not being of sufficient strength to produce the least sensible imprefsion. He knew not whether the animal makes use of them to defend itself from other insects, but he had often seen it in the midst of an ant hill seeking to fly, without attempting to use the pincers against the ants. The celebrated Swedish naturalist De Geer has pursued this subject much further; and, with his usual accuracy and penetration, has given so curious and interesting an account of the earwig, proving its history to differ from that of every other insect with which we are acquainted, that I trust a compendium of it will be acceptable to your readers. He observes that these insects are well known, but particularly to gardeners, who have often reason to complain of them for the damage they do to wall-fruit, as peaches, nectarines, and apricots, which they are very fond of.

The earwig breaks from the egg with nearly the same figure that it always preserves, but with the exception of the wings, which are produced afterwards. It is most commonly found in the earth under stones and under the bark of half decayed trees. It feeds on various substances, but it is principally fond of fruit.

The wings and elytra, or wing cases, being by far the most curious and least known part of this insect, I shall insert the full description of them from De Geer. The two elytra are very short, and extend over but a small part of the body, that is to say, only the upper part of the breast. They form a long square, the posterior part being truncated or cut off at right