608 PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. [aNNO I67O. 



any motion, he told me, that for a while they did, though when I afterward 

 rose myself, I could not perceive any motion in them. 



Exp. IL — Sept. 11. About noon we closed up divers ordinary flies, and 

 a bee or wasp ; all which, when the air was fully withdrawn, lay as dead, save 

 that for a very few minutes some of them had convulsive motions in their legs. 

 They continued in this state 48 hours, after which the air was let in upon 

 them, and that not producing any signs of life in them, they were laid in the 

 meridian sun, but not any of them seemed in any degree to recover. 



Exp. III. — Dec. 11. We put a great flesh fly into a very small portable 

 receiver, where at first it appeared to be very brisk and lively, but as soon as 

 the air was drawn out, fell on her back, and seemed to have convulsive motions 

 in her feet and proboscis ; from whence she presently recovered upon the let- 

 ting in of the air ; which being drawn out again, she lay as dead ; but a while 

 after, (within a quarter or half an hour) I perceived, that upon shaking the re- 

 ceiver, she stirred up and down, (but faintly.) This was done pretty late yester- 

 night, since whence I had not occasion to look on the glass, till this night after 

 supper, when I found the fly not recoverable either by warmth, or letting in the 

 air, A while after this note was written, this fly recovered ; and being next 

 morning sealed up again in that glass, and kept 48 hours, though over the 

 chimney, she died. 



Exp. IV. — We took a large grashopper, whose body, besides the horns and 

 limbs, was about an inch in length, and thick in proportion : this we convey- 

 ed into a portable receiver of an oval form, and capable of holding about a pint 

 of water or more, and having afterwards pumped out the air, till by the gauge 

 it appeared to have been pretty well drawn out, we took care no air should re- 

 enter to disturb the experiment. The success whereof was this: First, Though 

 before the exhaustion of the air was begun, the grashopper was stirring, and 

 lively, and continued so for a while after the beginning of the operation ; yet 

 when the air began to be considerably rarefied, he appeared to be very ill at 

 ease, and seemed to sweat out of the abdomen many little drops of liquor, 

 which being united trickled down the glass like a little stream, which made at 

 the bottom a small pool of clear liquor, amounting to near a quarter of a spoon- 

 ful, and by that time the receiver was ready to be taken ofi^, the grashopper 

 was fallen upon his back and lay as dead. Secondly, Though having a little 

 after laid the glass in a south window, on which the sun then shone, I per- 

 ceived some slow motions in the thorax, as if he strained to fetch breath ; yet 

 I was not sure they were not convulsive motions, and whatever they were, 

 they lasted but a while, and then the animal appeared to be quite dead, and to 

 continue so for three hours from the removal of the receiver. Thirdly, That 



