37 



the condition of the surrounding atmosphere. And when they go into hibernation, 

 respiration is completely suspended, consequently there is no combustion and therefore no 

 waste, and they emerge from their period of torpor, be it short or long, months or years, 

 "without the slightest perceptible loss in flesh. We are all aware of the difficulty of obtain- 

 ing reliable information on scientific suVyects from popular sources, even experts are often 

 discovering that what appears to be is far from being what is. A fine illustration of this 

 is given in connection with the controversy about the revivification of desiccated pond life. 



Near the residence of a Professor Zacharias, is a granite block with a cavity hiolding 

 from two to three litres of water, which evaporates in from two to six days according to 

 the weather. There has Vjcen living therein for fifty years, by actual observation, a par- 

 ticular kind of Rotifer, and various Protozoans whenever the conditions were favorable. 

 And this same fauna persisted in spite of complete desiccation, thousands of times re- 

 peated ; and it was referred to as proof that the dried individuals revived. This persist- 

 ence aroused the curiosity of Prof. Zacharias, and he went to work to investigate it, and 

 he .soon discovered that when the Rotifers and Protozoans were allowed to dry, they in- 

 variably died, but the eggs were preserved by encystation, and were ready to emerge 

 when the rain came. And after long and careful investigation in other departmen';s, he 

 arrived at the conclusion that there was probably no .such a thing as desiccated animal 

 revivification. 



The exact observations made Vjy Dr. Hamilton, as recorded in the Canadian Ento- 

 mologisl, vol. XVII, beginning on page 35, are conclusive that certain Vjeetles can resist 

 the action of frost to a very great degree. Others have recorded similar observations in 

 Lepidoptera. I have handled the pupie of Oecropia and Polyphemus moths when exposed 

 to 10, 15 and 20 degrees of frost and they were not solidified, the cocoon could afford 

 them little or no protection, and the mystery is, wherein lies the power of resistance ? A 

 mystery which yet remains unsolved. I quote the following extracts — authority not 

 stated : " Protoplasm in certain cases can endure a temperature of zero or lower ; and in 

 others can live at 90 degrees or higher temperature. This is a remarkable fact which 

 neither physiologists nor chemists can explain. . . . The less active the life the less 

 vulnerable it is, cold kills a great number of the lower organisms by reason of the dis- 

 organization of the tissues which takes place when congealed, and this disorganization 

 is complete in proportion to the amount of water the tissues contain." May we not here 

 be on the verge of an explanation of the mystery '\ We know that there are oils and 

 spirits that resist a great degree of frost. May not the protoplasm of insects, larvae and 

 pupai especially, be composed of fats with no water in their tissues for frost to act upon ? 

 Chemical analysis ought to be able to decide. 



That a caterpillar is found in a cube of ice, is not proof that it is solidified. I have 

 more than once seen the larva of Arctia Isabella embedded in ice, but as I did not investi- 

 gate them as to their condition in that respect, I can add nothing ; but going back upon 

 what has been already said, it seems reasonable to suppose they were not frozen. On the 

 approach of winter they took refuge under a board, stick or stone ; when the cold in- 

 creased they became torpid, snow fell ; then a thaw set in, but the heat did not reach 

 them to rouse their faculties into action ; the water flowed in upon them, they could not 

 drown, for respiration was completely suspended ; frost returns, the water is congealed 

 around them, the ice is not any colder than the air would have been, so if they could 

 resist the action of the one, they also could that of the other. And here I would remark, 

 that by such considerations, we get the natural explanation of how the beetles survived 

 the winter inundation without injury, as related by Dr, Hamilton, in the article already 

 referred to. 



It is a well-known fact in medicine, that poisons act slowly, and may even be quite 

 harmless when the temperature is low. I daresay we are all familiar with the different 

 action of the same cyanide under different temperatures, and feeble respiration is well 

 known to secure insects for a length of time against the poisonous fumes of cyanide. And 

 there can be little doubt, but that by one or other of these causes, or both combined, the 

 life of Dr. Hamilton's Lixus Concavus was insured against the action of alcohol, I have 



