The Life of the Caterpillar 



transformations. My recent rearings have 

 given me quite a collection of excretions ema- 

 nating from the Orthoptera. I consult those 

 of the Vine Ephippiger^ and the Great Grey 

 Locust. Both sting to a degree which once 

 more makes me regret my lavish hand. 



We will be satisfied with this; indeed my 

 arms demand as much, for, tattooed with red 

 squares, they refuse to make room for fresh 

 brandings. The examples are sufficiently 

 varied to impose the following conclusion : the 

 Processionary's virus is found in a host of 

 other insects, apparently even in the entire 

 series. It is a urinary product inherent in the 

 entomological organism. 



The dejections of insects, especially those 

 evacuated at the end of the metamorphosis, 

 contain or are even almost entirely composed 

 of urates. Can the stinging material be the 

 inevitable associate of uric acid? It should 

 then form part of the excrement of the bird 

 and the reptile, which in both cases is very 

 rich in urates. Here again is a suspicion 

 worthy of verification by experiment. 



For the moment it is impossible for me 

 to question the reptile; it is easy, on the other 



^A species of Grasshopper. — Translator's Note. 



184 



