INTERNAL ANATOMY OF INSECTS. 145 



From the circumstance that water is absorbed by 

 greasy moths, 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 Germar Mag. der Ent. iii. 445 . 



b Mem. Dijon 1783. ii. 70. c Reaum. v. 354. 



d On Poisons, i. 265. e Ibid. 269. 



VOL. IV, L 



