COLEOPTEEA. 507 



in death." Here is the story of which this name is destined to 

 preserve the remembrance, and which Latreille himself has related 

 in his "Histoire des Insectes." Before 1792, Latreille was known 

 only from some memoirs which he had published on insects. He 

 was then priest at Brives-la-Gaillarde, and was arrested with the 

 Cures of Limousin, who had not taken the oath. These unfortu- 

 nates were taken to Bordeaux, in carts, to be transported to 

 Guyana. Arrived at Bordeaux, in the month of June, they were 

 incarcerated in the prison of the Grand Seminaire till a ship 

 should be ready to take them on board. In the meanwhile, the 

 9th Thermidor arrived, and caused the execution of the sentence 

 which condemned the priests who had not taken the oath to 

 transportation to be for a while suspended. However, the prisons 

 emptied themselves but slowly, and those who had been condemned 

 had none the less to go into exile, Only their transportation had 

 been put off till the spring. 



Latreille remained detained at the prison of the Grand Semi- 

 naire. In the same chamber which he occupied, there was, at 

 the time, an old sick bishop, whose wounds a surgeon came 

 each morning to dress. One day as the surgeon was dressing the 

 bishop's wounds, an insect came out of a crack in the boards. 

 Latreille seized it immediately, examined it, stuck it on a cork 

 with a pin, and seemed enchanted at what he had found. 



" Is it a rare insect then ?" said the surgeon. 



" Yes," replied the ecclesiastic. 



" In that case you should give it to me." 



"Why?" 



" Because I have a friend who has a fine collection of insects 

 who would be pleased with it." 



" Yery well, take him this insect ; tell him how you came by it, 

 and beg him to tell me its name." 



The surgeon went quickly to his friend's house. This friend 

 was Bory de Saint Vincent, a naturalist who became celebrated 

 afterwards, but who was very young at that time. He already 

 occupied himself much with the natural sciences, and in par- 

 ticular with the classing of insects. The surgeon delivered to 

 him the one found by the priest, but in spite of all his researches, 

 he was unable to class it. 



