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1820s Dialogue

Insects

By Lydia Maria Child with annotations by Karen L. Kilcup

Insects

By Lydia Maria Child
Annotations by Karen Kilcup
Watercolor painting  of caterpillar and butterfly by Child, 1827.
Colored pencil drawing by Child, 1827. From the Lydia Maria Child Flower Souvenir Book,
courtesy of the Medford Historical Society & Museum Collection.

James.—I have been trying to read, in my room, this evening; but I could not, because the beetles, millers, and musquitoes[1] troubled me so much. You say everything does good, Aunt Maria; and I have come on purpose to ask, what such tormenting creatures as insects can be made for.

Aunt M.—It would take me a long time to tell all their uses. Silk, worn in such quantities all over the globe, is the work of a worm, you know. Nut galls, used both in medicine and colouring, are excrescences on the oak, in Asiatic Turkey;[2] which insects build as habitations for their young. Cochineal, from which our dyers procure their finest rose-colour, is an insect of South America. Spiders’ webs are recommended for the ague; and various species of flies are used as blisters.[3] An important article, called lac, used in making sealing-wax, varnish, and japan,—in cementing cracked china; and colouring, is likewise obtained from an insect.[4] The prodigious quantity of wax and honey used in the world, is furnished by these industrious little creatures.[5] Anatomists use them for surgical purposes; for they pick bones cleaner than the most delicate knife could do it.[6] The Chinese beetles are very brilliant. When seen through a microscope, they appear to be covered with gold and precious stones. For this reason, the ladies of that country embroider their wings into dresses.[7] In India, fire-flies are enclosed in gauze, and worn as ornaments in the hair.[8] Besides these particular uses, they serve to keep us in good health, by devouring a thousand poisonous and disagreeable substances, floating in the air.[9]

James.—They do more good than I thought of, to atone for the mischief they make; but the poor animals, especially horses, suffer much from them, without receiving good at their hands.

Fragment of embroidered fabric, 19thC India
Fragment of textile embroidered with beetle wings, India, 19th century. Public domain.

Aunt.—I am not certain of that. Physicians say it does animals good, to be bled by these little surgeons; and the constant motion in which they are kept by restlessness, is probably conducive to health.[10] However, I am not at all disposed to deny their great power to annoy and injure us. Many animals and plants have insects peculiar to them. Some bite and torture almost to madness,—others deposit their eggs under the skin, from whence they are taken into the mouth, and produce diseases. Horses, cows, and sheep, are each troubled with the latter species, called gad-flies,—which place their eggs on the lip, or in the nose. When hatched, the insects sometimes force their way to the very brains of sheep.[11] They seem to carry on quite as much of warfare between their various tribes, as the inhabitants of the deep. Spiders spread nets for flies. Wasps and hornets often tear bees to pieces, in order to get at their honey; and sometimes they take possession of a hive, after driving away the rightful owners. There are idlers of the same species, called Corsair bees, which plunder the hives of the industrious.[12] Another enemy to bees, is known by the singular title, of death’s-head hawk moth, on account of a mark like a scull upon its back.[13] He mimics so well the noise which the queen bee makes, that all the bees remain motionless, and let him plunder as much as he will. Moths deposit their eggs in honey-comb, frequently; and the young caterpillars, covering themselves with wax, and silk woven by themselves,—live there and steal what they please, in spite of the stings of a whole republic. Sometimes they do so much mischief, that the bees quit their hive in despair. Some insects creep into the shells of fish, and devour the inhabitants.[14] The pretty, little lady-bug is a great enemy to the small, green leaf-lice, which are so apt to devour rose-bushes; and the best way to clear plants of these vermin is, to establish a colony of lady-bugs among them.[15]

James.—I remember hearing these things, in one of Doctor Bradford’s lectures, last winter. He said it was very fortunate that children, all over the world, loved lady-bugs too well to kill them. He said too, that it was wise and kind in Providence, to make one species of insect live by destroying another,—else the world would be overrun by them. Can you tell me what he said about the ant-lion, which digs a pit to catch ants?[16]

Aunt.—It is a native of the South of Europe; and it is so slow in its motions that it would die for want of food, if it did not make up in cunning, what it needs in swiftness. He digs a circular pit fall, with his head and legs. He uses the leg toward the inside of the circle, and tosses the earth out with his head. When one leg gets tired, he crosses over to the opposite side, so as to make use of the other. If he meets with little stones, he places them, one by one, on his head, and jerks them outside the margin of the pit. If the stones are large, he balances them carefully on his back, and walks off with them. When the trap is nicely finished, he places himself in the middle, and hides himself with sand. If a poor ant happens to touch the shelving edge of the pit, down he tumbles into the jaws of his devourer; and if he attempt to scramble out again, the ant-lion shovels sand upon him at such a rate that he cannot see his way.

James.—Oh, how I hate cunning. I should be ashamed to get my living in such a vile, deceitful way, if I were an insect. Do they, like birds, have instinct in taking care of their young?

Aunt.—Yes, they evince quite as much care, in this respect, as other animals. The butterflies, which we see roving from flower to flower, are not seeking their own pleasure only,—they are trying to find a good place to deposit their eggs, so that their young may have proper food, the moment they are hatched. The flesh-fly places her eggs in meat with no bad intention; she puts them there, because her offspring must have the juices of meat for support.[17] The ichneumon-fly bores a hole in the body of the common caterpillar, in spite of all his struggles, and leaves an egg there. When the grub comes to life, he eats the inside of the caterpillar,—but carefully avoids the vital organs; so that the poor worm lives and eats only to furnish food for his enemy.[18] Some insects burrow a hole in the ground, and bury three or four living caterpillars with their eggs. The warmth of these bodies serve[s] to hatch the little ones, and then they live upon the worms till they are old enough to make their way out of the ground. The burying-beetle digs graves with great skill and hard labour,—and by dint of pulling, pressing, and treading, he buries birds, frogs, fishes, and grasshoppers, for his young.[19] Most insects die soon after they have placed their eggs; therefore all the care they take, must be in providing a good place for them. Many insects which live after their offspring are hatched, continue to have an eye on them,—such as honey-bees, ants, and some wasps. The mason-wasp buries a caterpillar with her egg, and when she thinks it is eaten up, she opens the hole and pushes in another; and so on, till the maggot is able to take care of itself.[20] The field-bug marches about with a family of thirty or forty, of which she takes as much care as a hen does of her chickens. If you disturb a nest of ants, you will see them all eager to carry certain, little, white bodies to places of security. These are their young; and no power can divert them from their tender office. A cruel observer once cut an ant in two, while engaged in this operation; but the affectionate animal would not relax her efforts. With that part of her body to which the head was affixed, she managed to carry ten of these precious burdens into the interior of the nest, before she expired.[21]

James.—I wonder how any one could have the heart to do such a deed. Wasps do not live on caterpillars,—why do they bury them for their young?

Aunt.—We can only say it is instinct. They certainly have not reason to teach them that a worm will come from the egg, and must have worms to feed on; but the God of nature has so taught them. Bees, which build cylindrical nests of rose-leaves, exhibit a very peculiar instinct. They first dig a cylindrical hole in the earth, and then go in quest of rose-bushes. After selecting leaves proper for the purpose, they cut oblong, curved, and even round pieces, so as to form exactly the different parts of the cylinder. Instinct teaches field-spiders to construct their webs with more exactness than house spiders; because they are more exposed to accidents from wind, rain, &c. And the same law of nature teaches them to roll themselves up, and pretend to be dead, when they are attacked. A large spider in South America, builds a nest strong enough to entrap small birds. In Jamaica, there is a spider, which digs a hole three inches into the ground, and lines it with a thick, tough web, like a leathern purse. For greater security, it has a door with hinges, when any of the inhabitants go abroad, or return home. Instinct, too, teaches the bee to make wax out of the farina of flowers; and with it construct thousands of six-sided cells, so exactly and economically, that mathematicians themselves are puzzled. Wasps bite off splinters from fences, door-posts, &c. and weave them into a kind of cloth, with which they make nests as curious as the comb of the bee. Sixteen thousand cells are sometimes contained in one wasp’s nest. I do not tell you about the industrious ants; or the regular government of bees and wasps; because many of your books give very particular accounts of the cell built for the queen bee; of the soldier bees, which guard her; the working bees, which bring home materials for the store-house; and of the drones, which are deservedly killed, and turned out of the way. If you wish for interesting accounts of all these things, and many others, read Miss Wakefield’s “Instinct Displayed,” and Smellie’s “Natural Philosophy.” There you will find accounts of the termites, a species of African ant, which destroys trees, undermines houses, and consumes clothes, furniture, and books; in short, every thing, except stones and metals. Such stories told of a little insect, no bigger than an ant, seem like mere “travellers’ wonders.” There is, however, no doubt of their truth. It is said that boxes full of papers have been left on the table at night, and not more than a square inch of them found in the morning. I will not, however, be answerable for the correctness of this statement. One traveller in Gambia states, that the height and regularity of their nests, made him mistake them, at a little distance, for a negro village. Another says “Some of these ant-hills are twenty feet high, and large enough to contain a dozen men.” They too, have a queen, soldiers, and domestics. If attacked, they fight furiously; biting every thing that comes within their reach; but let what will occur, the working-ants never fight, and the soldiers never work. The mischief they do is incredible. Whole villages, if left for a short time, are utterly destroyed by them.[22]

Locusts, which the Scriptures tell us have devoured every green thing in Egypt, have, in later times, ravaged European countries. We have accounts of swarms so large, as to be four hours in passing over a city, and so thick, as to shut out the light of the sun. Mr. Barrow states, that an area of 2,000 square miles, in the South of Africa, was literally covered with them; and that when driven into the sea by a north-west wind, they formed a bank three or four feet high, along the shore, for the space of fifty miles. The noise they make has been compared to the rushing of flame; and the effect of their bite, to that of fire.[23] (See the 10 first verses of the 2d chapter of Joel.)[24] Musquitoes, and those exceedingly small creatures called gnats, are great tormentors, when then come in swarms. In 1736, they rose from Salisbury Cathedral, England, in such numbers, that they resembled columns of smoke; and the church was actually supposed to be on fire. Dr. Clarke, speaking of his travels in Crim Tartary, informs us, that himself and companions were covered with one entire wound, from the bite of these insects; notwithstanding they were well guarded with clothes, handkerchiefs, and gloves.[25] Even when sleeping in his carriage, they forced themselves into his nose, ears, and mouth. In Africa and South America, these little demons are so furious, that travellers cannot sleep in peace, unless they thrust their heads into holes in the earth, and wrap their bodies in hammocks. Accounts are given of a Persian king, who was compelled to raise the siege of a Greek city, by the swarms of gnats, which attacked his elephants. Man can overcome the lion and the tiger, but these insignificant, little things, defy his strength, and elude his utmost wisdom.

James.—Doctor Bradford said, that wheat, rye, barley, indeed, almost every vegetable, had some peculiar insect, which injured or destroyed it. Though you have told me a great deal of good they do, it seems to me the mischief balances it a hundred times over.

Aunt.—One use I forgot to mention, which does not sound very pleasantly to us. They are used for food.[26] The luxurious Romans used to fatten beetles for their tables. The Greeks considered grass-hoppers a great delicacy. The frugal Chinese, unwilling to waste any thing, cook the silk worm, after taking away the silk. Palm-weevils and caterpillars, are held in great repute among the East Indians. The Hottentots parch white ants, to eat, as we do corn; and Mr. Smeathman says they taste like almond cakes.[27] The Arabs grind locusts, mix them with flour and water, and bake them. This kind of food is probably alluded to in scripture, where it is said of John the Baptist, “His meat was locusts and wild honey.”[28] The Hottentots preserve the same insect by salting and smoking; and the Moors prefer locusts to pigeons. The formation of insects is wonderful. Their bodies are always adapted to the soil and climate, which Providence intends they should occupy; and they are as perfect, as they are minute. “None have less than six feet; some, have many more. They are furnished with little, flexible, jointed horns, called antennae; supposed to be the organs of some sense of which we are ignorant. They have neither ears, brains, nor nostrils. Most of them have two eyes; spiders have eight. Eight hundred lenses have been discovered in a fly; and seventeen thousand, three hundred and twenty-five, in the cornea of a butterfly. They are furnished with pores on the side, through which they breathe; yet many of them possess several lungs, as well as several hearts. Silk-worms have a chain of hearts, which may be seen plainly through their transparent skins, while they are spinning.”[29] Surely, if they did not do more good than harm, Almighty Wisdom would not permit them to exist. Probably man does not yet know half their uses. One good moral lesson they certainly teach: viz. That no evil is insignificant because it is small. A few little faults may not do much harm; but unless destroyed, they will increase in swarms, and lay waste all the fair buds of virtue.

Child, Lydia Maria. “Insects.” Juvenile Miscellany 2, no. 3 (July 1827): 76-88.

[1] Musquitos is an old-fashioned spelling of mosquitoes.

[2] Child’s science is accurate. A nut gall or nutgall is a swelling usually caused by insects. The Oxford English Dictionary states that “Oak-galls are largely used in the manufacture of ink and tannin, as well as in dyeing and medicine.” Such nutgalls are “one of a kind obtained from an oak of Asia Minor.” “Asiatic Turkey” references not the country, which was not yet established in Child’s time, but a region.

[3] “The ague” generically indicates a fever accompanied by chills and sweating. In Child’s time it often referenced malaria. Inducing blisters was a common medical treatment. See Steele in Resources for Further Study.

[4] Lac is “a resinous substance secreted by a scale insect.” Sealing wax is a type of substance that softens with heat. It was used to seal letters. Japan is a type of varnish that “yield[s] a hard brilliant finish.” Merriam-Webster.com. In Child’s time, china was too precious to discard, so families often repaired plates or cups with a natural glue.

[5] Child probably refers to bees here.

[6] Insects have long been used in medicine, a practice called Entomotherapy.

[7] Iridescent blue-green-purple beetle-wings decorated embroidery in southeast Asia during the nineteenth century, both for clothing and practical items like tea-cosies, which kept a teapot warm.

[8] For more details on hair art and other practices, see Tolini in Resources for Further Study.

[9] Child’s reference is unclear. She may be describing insects’ role as recyclers, which helps remove dead materials from the ground (and hence the smells that accompany decomposition).

[10] Bleeding, or bloodletting, was a common medical practice for thousands of years. Today it is used as a treatment only for a very few diseases.

[11] Myiasis is the infestation of a live animal by fly larvae. Both humans and animals can be affected.

[12] The black corsair or western corsair is a type of assassin bug; its bite is painful to humans.

[13] “Scull” is an old-fashioned spelling of “skull.” The Death’s-head Hawk-moth is rare in the U.S.

[14] Child may be referencing the giant water bug. See also “Giant Water Bug Stalks and Devours Fish.”

[15] Ladybugs are predators of aphids (“leaf-lice”), which destroy many garden plants.

[16] The ant lion (sometimes spelled antlion) serves beneficial purposes in gardens.

[17] The flesh-fly looks like a common house-fly. It can cause illness in animals like cows and horses, as well as people.

[18] Ichneumons are actually wasps. Adults are vegetarians, but the larvae are parasitic.

[19] The burying-beetle is another name for the carrion beetle, which has been called “one of nature’s most efficient and fascinating recyclers.” They are currently an endangered species in the U.S.

[20] The mason wasp, also referred to as the black and red mason wasp, indeed preys on caterpillars; it is a small, solitary insect most common today in the southeastern U.S.

[21] Many insects, including ants, care for their offspring.

[22] The texts cited above are likely Priscilla Wakefield, Instinct Displayed, 4th ed. (1821) and William Smellie, The Philosophy of Natural History (1824). African termites are famous for their huge structures; mounds can reach over 17 feet high. However, they serve important ecological purposes, including help slow climate change. Like their African counterparts, North American termites also do substantial damage.

[23] Locusts can appear throughout the world. Child is not exaggerating the size of locust swarms.

[24] Joel 2:1-10 (KJV) prophesies the return of “the day of the Lord.”

[25] Child seems to be referencing an earlier version of Edward Daniel Clark’s 1838 book, Travels in Russia, Tartary and Turkey.

[26] First-century Roman scholar Pliny “wrote that Roman aristocrats loved to eat beetle larvae reared on flour and wine.” See Gynup in References for Further Study.

[27] A Mr. Smeathman’s work on the white ant is referenced in an 1811 book, A Companion to Mr. Bullock’s Museum.

[28] See Matthew 3:4 (KJV).

[29] Child quotes Wakefield’s Instinct Displayed, 4th ed. (1821) here.

Contexts

Child’s science is usually accurate, even by today’s standards. Her account participates in many contemporaneous discussions. As I point out in Stronger, Truer, Bolder, “John Skinner’s weekly newspaper, American Farmer, addressed the burdens that parasites caused agriculturalists” (49). Most children during this time were living on farms, and the information Child provides here would be important in caring for animals. On the other hand, a significant number of her readers would likely have been affluent children for whom this information might have seemed exotic. One important narrative feature is Child’s emphasis on a planetary perspective; by referring to many countries, she brings together knowledge both recognizable and supposedly foreign. Also notable in this natural history text is the author’s feminine emphasis, which uses anthropocentrism to make insects more familiar and which rejects the biblical emphasis on man’s dominion of nature.

Farina: “various powdery or mealy substances.” Merriam-Webster.com.

Resources for Further Study

Devitt, Annagh. “Entomotherapy: The Medical Use of Insects.” International Museum of Surgical Science.

Gynup, Sharon. “For Most People, Eating Bugs Is Only Natural.” National Geographic. 15 July, 2004.

Steele, Volney, M.D. Bleed, Blister, & Purge: A History of Medicine on the American Frontier. Missoula, MT: Mountain P, 2005.

Tolini, Michelle. “‘Beetle Abominations’ and Birds on Bonnets: Zoological Fantasy in Late-Nineteenth-Century Dress.” Nineteenth-Century Art Worldwide 1, no. 1 (Spring 2002). “Useful Products.” University of Nebraska Science Literacy and Outreach

Pedagogy

For a good basic introduction, see “9.18 Importance of Insects.” FlexBooks©2.0 > CK-12 Life Science for Middle School.” This resource confirms some of Child’s commentary. It contains a YouTube link to “Maggot Medicine,” which is not for the squeamish!

The Amateur Entomologists’ Society has an educational page “for young entomologists,” “The Bug Club,” which contains many useful links, including “Learn about insects,” “Bug Club for schools,” and “Insect fun and games.”

Many instructional sites, like that of the University of Florida IFAS Extension’s “Antlions in the Classroom,” feature specific insects.

CBS Kids has a web page promoting “Insects—the new superfood!

Contemporary Connections

East Africa has suffered a major locust attack recently, with BBC’s Future Planet writing about “The Biblical locust plagues of 2020.”

Today we recognize many insects as beneficial to ecosystems. They have also emerged as a food that promotes human gut health and that will help prevent global food shortages. According to entomophagists (people who consume insects), many have familiar flavors.

Insects have regained credibility for numerous medical uses. Leeches, for example, can help heal surgical wounds. They are also used by museum curators and in law enforcement, as Mollie Bloudoff-Indelicato describes in her 2013 National Geographic Society article, “Flesh-Eating Beetles Explained.” Readers beware—this story is another one not for the queasy.

The flesh-fly has forensic uses, often providing evidence in legal and criminal proceedings. Again, read with caution.

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