SUMMER WEATHER. 341 and they both die. Those insects that have passed all their former life in water, as gnats, ephemeras, &c., no sooner undergo the last transformation than they become incapable of continuing in the water even for a few seconds. Waked by his warner ray, the reptile young Ten thousand forms! ten thousand different tribes ! THOMSON. The luxury of cooling shades is now peculiarly grateful; and indeed, is scarcely required in this climate longer than a few weeks at the height of summer. Welcome, ye shades! ye bow'ry thickets, hail! Ye ashes wild, resounding o'er the steep! As to the hunted hart the sallying spring. THOMSON. Bathing too, is a delightful amusement at this season; and happy is the swimmer, who alone is able to enjoy the full pleasure of this healthful exercise. The power of habit to improve the natural faculties is in nothing more apparent than in the art of swimming. Man, without practice, is utterly unable to support himself in the water. In these northern countries, the season for pleasant bathing being short, few in proportion can swim at all; and to those who have acquired the art, it is a laborious and fatiguing exercise. Whereas, in the tropical countries, where from their very infancy both sexes are continually plunging into the water, they become a sort of amphibious creatures, swimming and diving with the utmost ease, and for hours together, without intermission. The excessive heats of this period of the year cause such an evaporation from the surface of the earth and waters, that after some continuance of dry weather, large heavy clouds are formed, which at length let fall their collected liquor in extremely copious showers, which frequently beat down the full-grown corn, and sometimes deluge the country with sudden floods. Thunder and lightning generally accompany these summer storms. Lightning is a collection of electric fire drawn from the heated air and earth, and accumulated in the clouds, which at length overcharged, suddenly let go their contents in the form of broad flashes or fiery darts. These are attracted again by the earth, and often intercepted by buildings, trees, and other elevated objects, which are shattered by the shock. Thunder is the noise occasioned by the explosion, and therefore always follows the lightning; the sound travelling slower to our ears, than the light to our eyes. Just the same thing happens when a gun is fired at a distance. When we hear the thunder, therefore, all danger from that flash of lightning is over; and thunder, though so awful and tremendous to the ear, is of itself entirely harmless. The plants which flower this month, beside those already mentioned, are the potato and hop; the meadow-sweet and graspoly (Lythrum salicaria) by the side of streams and ponds; the pimpernel, cockle, and fumitory in corn-fields; the delicate blue campanula in wastes or by road sides; and the nasturtium, jasmine, and white lily in gardens. The pure white flowers of the latter, elevated upon their tall stalk, give an agreeable sensation of coolness to the eye. The effects of the great heat on the human body are allayed by the various wholesome fruits which this season offers. Those which are now ripe are of all others the most cooling and refreshing; as currants, gooseberries THE INSECT TRIBES. 343 raspberries, strawberries, and cherries. These are no less salutary and useful, than the richest productions of the warmer climates. That agreeable article of luxury, the mushroom, about this time also appears above ground; and numbers of that migratory fish, the pilchard, are taken off the coast of Cornwall. During this month young frogs migrate from the breeding ponds, and betake themselves to the shelter of the long grass. The hoary beetle (Scarabeus solstitialis) now makes its appearance; it much resembles the common dor, or cockchaffer, and is chiefly distinguished by not exceeding half the size of this last. The present is also the season when bees begin to expel and kill the drones; and at this time too the flying ants quit their nests, and disperse to found new colonies. As the ant is the animal which has passed into a proverb for its supposed frugality, foresight, and industry, it will be amusing to correct in a few words the erroneous opinions that have been entertained concerning it, by giving a short sketch of its manners and habits. Ants, like bees, and most other insects that dwell in large communities, are divided into male, female, and neuter. Of these, the neuters, or labourers, are without wings, the males and females have wings, and are distinguished from each other by the superior size of the females. Their dwelling is called an ant-hill, which is generally situated at the foot of a tree, under a wall, or in any place sufficiently exposed to the sun, and sheltered from the cold. In the hill are three or four passages that lead obliquely down, a foot or more, to a large vaulted chamber; the centre of which is the habitation and place of general assembly for the old ones, while the eggs and young worms are ranged in orderly lines between the centre and sides. If one of these chambers be opened in the winter, it will be found to contain some eggs, and a considerable number of labourers alone, in a state of torpor. As the spring advances, the ants resume their labours, the eggs hatch, and going through the usual process disclose a considerable proportion of labourers and a few males and females; the young females soon begin to deposit their eggs, and the hill swarms with inhabitants. About the latter end of July the males and females either emigrate, or are expelled by the labourers; the males wander about for a time and soon die, but the impregnated females immediately set about scooping holes in the ground in which they deposit their eggs, and thus each becomes the mother of a new colony: two or three hundred of the eggs are usually converted into labourers before winter: at the approach of cold weather the mother dies, the remainder become torpid till the succeeding spring, when they recommence their work. The stock of eggs is hatched into labourers, males and females; and the population of the colony rapidly increases during the summer. They lay up no provisions, not even for a single day; and during boisterous rainy weather are therefore obliged to be contented with a very scanty share of food. They prey upon almost every animal or vegetable substance, particularly beetles, caterpillars, dead mice, rats, or frogs, honey, the saccharine juices that exude from the leaves of trees, and fruits of every kind. They are sometimes successfully employed in clearing trees of caterpillars, by smearing the trunk for a few inches with tar or any other adhesive matter, and then turning a number of ants loose on the branches; for their escape being prevented by the girdle of tar, they are under the necessity of continuing in the tree, and having no other food, will in a short time devour or expel all the caterpillars. When one ant, or a few, meet with a larger quantity of provision than they are able to convey to the nest, they return and inform their comrades, who sally forth in a large body to carry off the prize. In America, and on the African coast, there occasionally happens an irruption of such infinite multitudes as to be an object of serious alarm, even to the human inhabitants; of one of these incursions the following quotation is a curious account. "During my stay," says Smith, "at Cape Coast Castle, a body of these ants came to pay us a visit in our fortification. It was about day-break when the advanced guard of this famished crew entered the chapel, where some negro servants were asleep on the floor. The men were quickly alarmed at the invasion of this unexpected army, and prepared as well as they could for a defence. While the EMPLOYMENTS OF THE MONTH. 345 foremost battalion of insects had already taken possession of the place, the rear-guard was more than a quarter of a mile distant; the whole ground seemed alive, and crawling with unceasing destruction. After deliberating a few moments on what was to be done, it was resolved to lay a large train of gunpowder along the path they had taken; by this means millions were blown to pieces, and the rear-guard, perceiving the destruction of their leaders, thought proper instantly to return, and make back to their original habitation." Poultry moult during this month; and young partridges are found among the corn. The first broods of swallows and martins now begin to congregate, and before they come to their full strength and command of wing, suffer severely from the attacks of hawks and other birds of prey. The farmer's chief employment in July is getting home the various products of the earth. It is the principal hay-month in the northern parts of England, and the work-people suffer much fatigue from the excessive heat to which they are exposed. Flax and hemp are pulled in this month. These plants are cultivated in various parts of Europe more than in England. The stalks of both are full of tough fibres or strings, which, separated and prepared in a particular manner, become fit for spinning into thread. Of flax, linen is made, from the finest cambric to the coarsest canvass. Hemp is chiefly used for coarse cloth, such as strong sheeting and sacking; but it is sometimes wrought to considerable fineness; it is also twisted into ropes and cables. The corn-harvest begins in July in the southern parts of the island; but August is the principal harvest-month for the whole kingdom. |