58 PROCEEDINGS OF THE 



Still remaining on the trees, but these were all dry, and without 

 any signs of insect life. He supposed the peculiarity of the 

 habit, and time of reaching the imago state, had hitherto eluded 

 the vigilance of Entomologists. Several members stated that 

 the same discovery had been made abroad. Specimens of the 

 Cynips were exhibited. 



The Rev. F. W. Hope produced his promised paper on 

 insects internally inhabiting man. The paper was illustrated 

 by several specimens, through the kindness of Mr. Owen, of 

 the College of Surgeons, and thirteen tables, exhibiting in one 

 view the genera, species, authority, date, country, sex of the 

 subject attacked, symptoms, result, &c. &c. It enumerated 

 forty-three distinct species of insects, mostly of the classes 

 Coleoptera and Diptera, as having been found inhabiting 

 the living human body, sometimes the causes of painful and 

 protracted disease, and sometimes of death. After giving a 

 general history and analysis of the instances he had been able 

 to collect, the author proceeded to endeavour to account for 

 their introduction. The process of roasting and boiling, 

 to which our food was usually subjected, he admitted was 

 effectual in destroying insect life in any of its stages. But the 

 ova of Diptera he thought were frequently deposited in cold 

 provisions, and thus introduced into the stomach and reared. 

 Salads he thought were a fruitful source of introducing larvae ; 

 and muddy water, often incautiously drunk by children, of both 

 ova and larvag. He combated the objection that insects could 

 not subsist in the temperature of the human body, by the well- 

 known examples of their occurrence in horses, cows, &c. The 

 paper excited much interest, and considerable discussion. Mr. 

 Westwood inquired of the author whether he considered there 

 were any insects indigenous to the human species, or whether 

 their occurrence was accidental. Mr. Hope replied that he 

 thought their introduction was mostly accidental, but he was 

 inclined to a belief in an CEstrus Hominis. Mr. Owen adduced 

 some curious instances of a worm infesting that animal crawl- 

 ing alive out of a boiled codfish, to the no small discomfiture of 

 those around the table ; and the existence of a particular 

 species of snail in the thermal springs of Italy. In illustration 

 of the capability of some of the lower animals of bearing a high 

 degree of temperature, Mr. Shuckard mentioned, on the autho- 

 rity of Mr. Standish, the fact of a moth escaping alive out of a 



