534 HYBERNATION OF INSECTS. • 



are constantly taking place in many European carnivorous perfect insects in summer, 

 when their food is abundant, lead them then, in Europe as in tropical countries, to 

 seek out or prepare a suitable retreat? Yet, however full fed insects in temperate 

 climes may be in summer, we know that thej' do not retire to become torpid at that 

 period. All, therefore, that the present state of our knowledge seems to entitle us to 

 say, is, as expressed in the close of the above letter, written thirty years ago, that 

 the act of hybernation is dependent on the instinct of the insect, and that though 

 this instinct 7nai/ be, and probably is, excited b)- some bodily sensation, we as yet 

 know no more of the precise nature of this than of that of a thousand other sensa- 

 tions which may give rise to the endless instincts of different kinds observed in the 

 insect tribes. 



