244 THE LIFE AND LOVE OF THE INSECT 



who was soon to acquire such world-wide celebrity. His 

 name was familiar to me. I had read the scholar's fine 

 work on the dissymetry of tartaric acid ; I had followed 

 with the greatest interest his researches on the generation 

 of Infusoria. 



Each period has its scientific crotchet : to-day, we have 

 transformism ; at that time, they had spontaneous genera- 

 tion. With his balloons made sterile or fecund at will, 

 with his experiments so magnificent in their severity and 

 simplicity, Pasteur gave the death-blow to the lunacy 

 which pretended to see life springing from a chemical 

 conflict in the seat of putrefaction. 



In the midst of this contest so victoriously elucidated, 

 I welcomed my distinguished visitor as best I could. The 

 savant came to me first of all for certain particulars. I 

 owed this signal honour to my standing as his colleague 

 in physics and chemistry. Oh, such a poor, obscure 

 colleague ! 



Pasteur's tour through the Avignon region had seri- 

 ciculture for its object. For some years, the silk-worm 

 nurseries had been in confusion, ravaged by unknown 

 plagues. The worms, for no appreciable reason, were 

 falling into a putrid deliquescence, hardening, so to speak, 

 into plaster sugar-plums. The downcast peasant saw 

 one of his chief crops disappearing ; after much care and 

 trouble, he had to fling his nurseries on the dung-heap. 



A few words were exchanged on the prevailing blight ; 

 and then, without further preamble, my visitor said : 



" I should like to see some cocoons. I have never seen 

 any ; I know them only by name. Could you get me some ?" 



" Nothing easier. My landlord happens to sell co- 

 coons ; and he lives in the next house. If you will wait a 

 moment, I will bring you what you want." 



