On Medical Entomology. 3-17 



CvNiPS RosjE. — The cynips of the rose tree is black ; 

 its abdomen and feet are red : the excrescence which eives 

 rise to its larva is spongv, reticulated, and formed of yellow 

 and red filaments. It is known under the name of iDOSi? 

 of the rose tree, or bcdcgi/ar. It is astonishing that illus- 

 tiious physicians have ascribed diuretic, somniferous, and 

 even ante-hydrophobic properties to this substance, which 

 has no odour*. 



Chrysis — Chrys'ide. — The beautiful colours with which 

 the bodies of all these insects are ornamented, justify the 

 name oi golden wasp which has been gi\en to them. Thev 

 have jaws, but no trunk; thtir tongue, is small and oval; 

 their antennce are filiform, and composed of twelve articula- 

 tions, the first of which is longer than the rest : their sting 

 is enveloped in a scaly covering, and serves the insect only 

 for depositing its cogs in the sniall cells which it forms in 

 the mortar of walls exposed to the south. 



CvNiPs IGMTA — Blue and red Chnjs'ide. Cuvier. — ^The 

 head and breast of this species are blue, changing to golden 

 green : the abdomen is red, changing: to gold colour, and 

 terminated by four indentations. 



It has been proposed to employ this insect, dried and 

 pulverized, or digested in alcohol, in the same manner and 

 the same diseases as cantharides. Beiris rccomnjends it in 

 particular in paralytic aifections. 



Apis — The Bee. — The mouth of bees is furnished with 

 jaws, and a trunk, with which they extract the juice from 

 Howers : their antennie are filiform. The females and 

 males have their anus armed with a retractile stine, which 

 inflicts a painful wound. 



Apis mellifica — The domestic Bee. Geofl'., called im- 

 properly the Honey Bee. — While the farmer is employed 

 only in increasing the product of bees, the philosopher 

 observes them in their solitary retreats ; and after having 

 studied the manners given them by nature, he collects 

 them into colonies, in order to appreciate the modilicationj 

 they have experienced from the hand of man. He con- 

 structs for them transparent habitations, which permit him 

 to contemplate their adnurabie labours, and the police 

 which prevails among them. These details, equally calcu- 

 lated to interest and excite curiosity, do not f?ll within my 

 province ; and I must confine niyself to distinguish the 



• Tiic oi-.ly quality thit cin lie ■)l^tini;uisIicJ in them is the astrin- 

 • crcy coninu>:> to thcin with many othi i vegetable tnaitcr*. 



duillCiitic 



