Page:White - The natural history of Selborne, and the naturalist's calendar, 1879.djvu/432

410 insects swarming about the flowers of the ivy, very late in the autumn.—.

Spiders, woodlice, lepismæ in cupboards and among sugar, some empedes, gnats, flies of several species, some phalænæ in hedges, earth-worms, etc., are stirring at all times when winters are mild; and are of great service to those soft-billed birds that never leave us.

On every sunny day the winter through, clouds of insects usually called gnats (I suppose tipulæ and empedes) appear sporting and dancing over the tops of the evergreen trees in the shrubbery, and striking about as if the business of generation was still going on. Hence it appears that these diptera (which by their sizes appear to be of different species, are not subject to a torpid state in the winter, as most winged insects are. At night, and in frosty weather, and when it rains and blows, they seem to retire into those trees. They often are out in a fog.—. This I have also seen, and have frequently observed swarms of little winged insects playing up and down in the air in the middle of winter, even when the ground has been covered with snow.—.

HUMMING IN THE AIR. There is a natural occurrence to be met with upon the highest part of our down in hot summer days, which always amuses me much, without giving me any satisfaction with respect to the cause of it; and that is, a loud audible humming of bees in the air, though not one insect is to be seen. The sound is to be heard distinctly the whole common through, from the Money-dells to Mr. White's avenue gate. Any person would suppose that a large swarm of bees was in motion, and playing about over his head. This noise was heard last week, on June 28th.