THE INSECT WORLD. 



iiieins the flv employs with sugar. When the trunk is forced to act 

 po'n^Vgrlin of ir'^reg'ular and rugged forn. on whB. ,t -not e- y 

 f-sten its end distorts itself to seize and hold it. It is sometimes 

 very ;m usfng to see how the fly turns over the grain of sugar in, 

 different ways ; it appears to play with it as a monkey would with) 

 an apple It is, however, only that it may hold it well in order to 

 moSenit mor; successfully, and afterwards to pump up the water 



'■•t^ei\rurSefo\trved-: drop of water at the end of the trunks! 

 of flies wWch were perfectly surfeited with food. This drop ascended, 

 "he tain then re-descended to the end, and this many times m sue- 

 cesson It appeared to him that it was necessary for these insects, 

 a formal y quadrupeds, to chew the cud, as it were ; that, m ordei,, 

 die betier (o dif^est the liquid they had passed into their stomachs, 

 they were obliged to bring it back into the trunk that it might retun, 



'^Tn'<:S:; LTsut himself directly of the reality of his supposition 

 Ke-aumurlested the water which a fly, that he says "had got drun^ 

 on?urr," had brought back to the end of its trunk; he found th, 

 to be^ sugar and water. Also, having given a fly cnn^it-jel^s h 

 observed,\fter it had sufficiently gorged itself, ^^veral drops of re 

 liquid in its trunk, and having tasted it, found it had the flavor 

 which, from its appearance, he guessed It would have 



The illustrious observer, who had already made all these d^ I 



coveries on the formation and functions of the trunks of msects, ofte 



reflec ed on the fact that the liquors of which flies are most fond ai,j 



enclosed under the skin of certain fruits, such as pears, pKurrs grape, 



&c or even under the skin of some animals of which they suck tlr 



bloid Inorder that the trunk of a fly may act ""der such circun| 



stances, it is necessary for it to pierce and open Ae skm. If ^i^ 



the case flies ought to be possessed of a lancet. He looked a lori| 



time for'this lanc'et, and at'last found it. It is s tuated on the ujipj 



side of the part of the trunk which is terminated by thelps it 



nlaced in a fleshy groove, and is enclosed m a case, it has a vei 



Soint,andiJo'flight'colour(Fig.6i). The pomt - —d , 



the opening which is to be seen between the lips of the rank at , 



anterior end, through which liquids may pass. 1 hat is the or 



opening of the lips ; and the sucker which takes up the liquid .s t 



sime part which we just now called the case of the lancet 



R&umur is so interesting an author that it is difficul to ce., 

 quoting him ; but we must continue our review of the principal kin 

 of Diptera. 



