THE PINE-CHAFER 319 



the Pine-chafer well enough, but it is not sufficient 

 to make us certain. Pliny himself does not seem to 

 have been very certain of the identity of the remedy. In 

 his time men's eyes had not yet learned to see the insect 

 world. Insects were too small ; they were well enough 

 for amusing children, who would tie them to the end 

 of a long thread and make them walk in circles, but 

 they were not worthy of occupying the attention of 

 a self-respecting man. 



Pliny apparently derived the word from the country- 

 folk, always poor observers and inclined to extravagant 

 denominations. The scholar accepted the rural locution, 

 the work perhaps of the imagination of childhood, and 

 applied it at hazard without informing himself more 

 particularly. The word came down to us embalmed 

 with age ; our modern naturalists have accepted it, 

 and thus one of our handsomest insects has become 

 the *^ fuller." The majesty of antiquity has conse- 

 crated the strange appellation. 



In spite of all my respect for the antique, I cannot 

 myself accept the term ^^ fuller," because under the 

 circumstances it is absurd. Common sense should 

 be considered before the aberrations of nomenclature. 

 Why not call our subject the Pine-chafer, in reference 

 to the beloved tree, the paradise of the insect during 

 the two or three weeks of its aerial life ? Nothing 

 could be simpler, or more appropriate, to give the 

 better reason last. 



We have to wander for ages in the night of 

 absurdity before we reach the radiant light of the 

 truth. All our sciences witness to this fact ; even 

 the science of numbers. Try to add a column of 



