Objections and Rejoinders 



est examination would have shown you that 

 the victuals cannot be compared exactly with 

 smoked hams. The thing moves, therefore 

 it is not dead. There you have the whole 

 matter, in its artless simplicity. The palpi 

 move, the mandibles open and shut, the tarsi 

 quiver, the antennae and the abdominal fila- 

 ments wave to and fro, the abdomen throbs, 

 the intestine rejects its contents, the animal 

 reacts to the stimulus of a needle, all of 

 which signs are hardly compatible with the 

 idea of pickled meat. 



Have you had the curiosity to look 

 through the pages in which I set forth the 

 detailed results of my observations? You 

 haven't, have you? Again, I thought as 

 much. It is a pity. You would there find, 

 in particular, the history of certain Ephip- 

 pigers who, after being stung by the Sphex 

 according to rule, were reared by myself by 

 hand. You must agree that these are queer 

 preserves to be produced by the use of an 

 antiseptic fluid. They accept the mouthfuls 

 which I offer them on the tip of a straw ; they 

 feed, they sit up and take nourishment. I 

 shall never live to see tinned sardines doing 

 as much. 



I will avoid tedious repetition and content 

 myself with adding to my old sheaf of proofs 



