RAVAGES OF GRUBS. 235 



with these grubs, that they were seen in every spoon- 

 ful of the soup. In the case of soup, or of other 

 food which has been exposed to heat, the only in- 

 convenience is the disgust which must ensue ; but, 

 unfortunately, there may sometimes occur circum- 

 stances of a more serious nature, — from either the 

 eggs or the insects themselves being incautiously 

 swallowed alive. We do not wish, however, to create, 

 so much as to allay, the fears entertained by those 

 who are unacquainted with the habits of insects ; and 

 nothing we are persuaded will do this more effect- 

 ually than a statement of facts well ascertained. 

 " Several people," says the Abbe de la Pluche, " never 

 eat fruit because they believe that spiders and other 

 insects scatter their eggs upon it at random;"* but 

 even if this were so, as it is not, it would be impossible 

 for the young, should they be hatched in the stomach, 

 to live there for an instant. The possible cases in 

 which this may occur we shall now briefly notice ; 

 they are fortunately very rare. 



The meal-worm, and some of the grubs which 

 feed on grain and other provisions, are recorded to 

 have been swallowed, and to have given rise to dis- 

 orders in the stomach and bowels ; but in all such 

 cases it is plain, that if the insects did survive the 

 increased temperature of the stomach, they could 

 only live on the food swallowed from time to time ; 

 for, not being carnivorous, they would not attack 



Meal-worm, and the beetle produced iVoiu it. 

 * Spectacle de la Nature, i. 65. 



