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THE ADVANCE, BURFORD, ONTARIO, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 5, 1981 Page 7 BURFORD BUGS by Mel Robertson Port One Any non-academic study of the insect population of any area should be prefaced with the following verse - Big fleas have little fleas Upon their backs to bite 'em. And little fleas have lesser fleas And so ad infinitum. In other words, the variety of insects present in any region makes it impossible to mention all without compiling a scholarly work of great length and (to the ordinary reader) of surpassing dullness. As regards Bur ford Township, I do not have the professional training, time, or inclination, to undertake such a study. Consequently, this article will be devoted to a few of the insects that are common to this area and which have merited observation. If your favourite bug is not included I can only say that I cannot be held accountable for everyone's taste in bugs. Insects are as old as time but, strangely, with the exception of a few, little mention is made of them in history. The Bible, of course, refers to locusts, bees, scorpions and the disagreeable presence of flies; and medieval writers mention the fleas, bed-bugs and lice that infested the clothing and beds of everyone from kings right down the scratching order of society. However, since little was known about the ability of insects to spread disease, unless a bug bit or stung, it was merely regarded as one of the burdens one had to accept in this life in order to inherit a bug-free reward later on. Indeed, the Crusaders accepted the terrible hordes of flies that assailed them in Palestine as a test of their zeal to recover the Holy Places. At home, they found that the best way to combat fleas and lice was to hang their furs and clothing in their foul latrines where the appalling stanch discouraged just about everything. Later, when touring became fashionable, better-class tourists carried their own linen sleeping-bags to ward off the vermin that thronged the beds of most hotels. Burford Township, in the early, days must have swarmed with mosquitos, black flies and other pests due to the central swamps. However, here again, few complaints about bugs can be found in the writings that have survived. For example, the considerable correspondence left by such saddleback clergymen as the Rev. Thon .o Green and the Rev. Charles Petrie contains little reference to insects even though these men were travelling constantly ..through our forests in midsummer. Similarly, the reports of Lt. Wm. Hamilton Merritt, who commanded the cavalry here during the War of 1812-14, show more concern for the shortage of forage for his horses and the lack of female company for his men than they do for the mosquitos and flies that assailed them during their patrols. It is also surprising to note that during the great cholera epidemics that ravaged the township from 1832 to the 1860's so little was known about the ability of flies to spread disease that the blame was put on low-social standing, ungodliness, immorality and celestial humours and in 1832 cholera was even described as "not the scourge of man but of the sinner" (The Cholera Epidemics in Upper Canada" -Dr. C.M. Godfrey-Seccombe House - 1968). In 1883 reference was made to the prevalence of "febrile malaria" on the farms in the central and western parts of the township. Since these farms were near the swamps and no one knew of the involvement of the mosquito in the spread of malaria, the disease was ascribed to nocturnal "emanations" from the swamps. While there is little doubt that our forebears shared their homes, food and clothing with many insects the first thoughtful observations about them seem to be those of Wm. Yates of Hatchley. These are random observations without planned, or expected, conclusions. The insects are not unique to the area but the notes are interesting because Mr. Yates put into words many observations that ordinary people make on a day-to-day basis, without taking time to jot them down. Since one of the earliest insects to annoy man was the louse it is interesting to note that one of Wm. Yates first observations of an insect, to be published, concerned a form of louse with which he came in contact through his interest in birds. In 1890 Mr. Yates made the following comment, "Here is a fitting place to allude to the circumstances of these powerful carnivorous birds (the Horned owl) being infested with insect parasites. On preparing the body of this particular owl for taxidermy purposes (Yates had captured the owl in his hen house) quite a few hemip-terous creatures were found adhering to its body at the roots of the feathers...these insects bear a strong resemblance in form and size to those entomological pests that annoy the ovine race and are commonly known as sheep ticks. The only obvious difference is that the owl type have large membranous wings...sportsmen assure me that the common Continued on Page 12 ATTENTION: Tobacco Farmers! • Air-cooled engine repairs • Authorized dealer for: • Briggs & Straiten • Kohler • Tecumseh Enquire about the Briggs Industrial/Commercial engine J&J SERVICE & REPAIR 18 King E., Phone: 449-5393 Ethrel helps you produce a brighter leaf. Ethrel