INTERNAL ANATOMY OF INSECTS. 145 
From the circumstance that water is absorbed by 
greasy mollis, that crystals of a salt are occasionally 
found adhering to them, that they change blue litmus 
paper red, — it has been inferred that their supposed oili- 
ness is in fact an acid or acid salt, having the property 
of attracting moisture from the air, the infected moths 
being in fact not greasy, but wet; hence the application 
of chalk and clay, usually recommended in this case, can 
have only a temporary and superficial effect. The only 
effectual remedy, is steeping the body in spirits of wine 
till all the acid is extracted a . This acid is probably the 
same as Chaussier obtained from silkworms, since called 
Bombic Acid b . 
The poison of bees and wasps, as to its chemical qua- 
lities, is a transparent fluid, at first sweet to the taste, 
but immediately afterwards hot and acrid like the milky 
juice of the spurge c ; soluble in water, but not in alco- 
hol; and separable from the former in the state of white 
powder, when the latter is added giving a slight red 
tinge to paper stained with vegetable blue, and when 
dry and chewed appearing tenacious, gummy and elastic. 
This last property, as well as solubility in water and not 
in alcohol, is common also to the poison of the viper, 
which however differs in being tasteless, and not affect- 
ing vegetable blues. From hence Fontana concludes 
that this fluid is united with an acid, but in a very small 
proportion, and not with an alkali d . The venom of 
bees is extremely active ; a grain in weight, it is conjec- 
tured, would kill a pigeon in a few seconds c . It is re- 
a Gertnar Mag. der Ent. iii. 445 — . 
b Mem. Dijon 1783. ii. 70. c Reaum. v. 354. 
«» On Poisons, i. 265—. ■ Ibid, 269. 
VOL. IV. L 
