VOL. v.] PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. 50g 



time being expired, the glass was opened and the air let in upon him, notwith- 

 standing which there appeared no sign at all of life ; but imagining there might 

 be some time requisite to recover him out of so deep a swoon, I let the glass 

 rest in a convenient posture, that the water that came from him might not en- 

 danger him, for a quarter or half an hour, and though I then perceived no 

 signs of life, yet being desirous to pursue the trial yet further, I caused him to 

 be carried into a sunshiny place, where the beams of a declining sun presently 

 began to make him stir his limbs, and in a short time brought him perfectly to 

 life again. 



Exp. V. — April 15. We took one of those shining beetles, called rose- 

 flies, and having inclosed it in a very small round receiver, which we exhausted, 

 and though he that attended the engine, affirmed, it struggled much whilst 

 the air was withdrawing, yet presently after, I could perceive but little motion 

 (and part of that seemed almost convulsive) and afterward going abroad, and 

 not returning to look on the glass till about fix hours after, the fly seemed 

 quite dead, and discovered not any motion upon that of the glass. And within 

 about an hour after, though I let the air rush in ; yet no sign of life ensued, 

 neither immediately, nor for a pretty while after. So that suspecting the fly 

 to be really dead, and yet not resolutely concluding it, though I would then 

 wait no longer, yet three or four hours after (viz. about 10 o'clock at night) 

 I returned to the receiver, and found the beetle lively enough. Whereupon 

 I caused the glass to be again exhausted, and secured from the ingress of the 

 air, during which time the animal seemed to be much disquieted by what was 

 done to it, but did not lose its motion before I went to bed, which was 

 soon after. 



Exp. VI. — ^With butterflies I made several trials, the accounts of most of 

 which are lost ; but thus much I very well remember, that having observed 

 them not only to live, but to move longer than was expected, I inclosed di- 

 vers of them in receivers somewhat large, especially that I might see, whether 

 in so thin a medium some or other of them, by the help of their large wings, 

 would be able to fly. But though, whilst the air continued in the glasses, 

 they flew actively as well as freely up and 4own ; and though after the ex- 

 haustion of the air, they continued to live and were not motionless ; nay 

 though at the bottom of the receiver they would even move their wings and 

 flutter a little, yet I could not perceive any of them fly, by which I mean, 

 perform any progressive motion supported by the medium only. And by fre- 

 quently inverting the receiver (which I took care should be pretty long to let 

 them fall from one extreme to the other,) they would fall like dead animals 

 without displaying their wings, though just as they came to touch the bottom. 



