THE TRUNK. 377 



probosces, and stopped their mouths with paste. 

 When this was sufficiently dry to prevent their 

 getting rid of it, he restored them to their liberty; 

 they appeared by no means incommoded at being 

 thus gagged, but moved about and breathed 

 as readily as their companions. Huber then 

 tempted them with honey, and presented to them, 

 near the mouth, oil of turpentine and other odours 

 that they usually have an aversion to ; but all 

 produced no sensible effect upon them, and they 

 even walked upon pencils saturated with them ! 



Leaving now the head of the insect, it is neces- 

 sary for us to make some mention of the parts 

 attached to the thorax, or trunk. In the head 

 division we have seen that the various organs of 

 the senses are situated : we shall now find that in 

 the thorax division are placed the organs by 

 which the insect is either wafted in rapid evolu- 

 tions to the highest air, or runs with incredible 

 rapidity along the surface of the earth. We 

 have already described, on a previous page, the 

 general structure of an insect's wing. It remains, 

 therefore, for us here to advert to a few other facts 

 in connexion with these elegant appendages. 



The natural number of wings in the insect 



