V ONE SKILFUL TO SLAY 75 



state of perfect freshness ; if it be possible to bring 

 about this wonder with the Coleoptera hunted by 

 the Cerceris, or with those possessing a like nervous 

 centralisation, while one fails with those whose 

 ganglia are far apart, one must admit, however 

 exacting one may be in the matter of proof, that 

 the Hymenopteron possesses in the unconscious 

 inspirations of instinct the resources of sublime 

 science. Let us see then what experiment shows. 

 The manner of operation is very simple. With a 

 needle, or, better still, with the point of a fine steel 

 pen, we must introduce a tiny drop of some corrosive 

 liquid into the thoracic motive centres, pricking the 

 insect slightly at the jointing of the prothorax 

 behind the first pair of feet. The liquid which I 

 use is ammonia, but it is evident that any other 

 liquid whose action is equally strong would produce 

 the same results. The metal pen being charged 

 with ammonia as it might be with a droplet of ink, 

 I give the prick. The effects thus obtained differ 

 enormously, according to whether the experiment 

 be made upon species with thoracic ganglia near 

 together or upon those where these same ganglia 

 are far apart. With regard to the first category, 

 my experiments were made on Scarabseus, S. sacer 

 and S. longicollis ; on a bronze Buprestis ; and on 

 weevils, especially that Cleonus hunted by the 

 heroine of these observations. In the second cate- 

 gory I have experimented on Caraboidea, Carabus, 

 Procrustes, Chloenius, Sphodrus, Nebria; Longicornia, 

 Saperda, and Lamia ; on Melasomes ; Biaps, 

 Scaurus, and Asida. 



Among the Scarabaeus class,the Buprestids,andthe 



