VEGETABLE POISONS. 187 



body and the legs increase with its age. Its 

 poison, (though very active, and productive 

 of extremely distressing symptoms,) is not so 

 injurious as that of the scorpion ; and is only 

 fatal to the smaller class of animals. A fly is 

 instantaneously killed by its bite ; and in dogs 

 and in brute animals of the larger description, its 

 wounds leave a rancorous sore of many weeks 

 continuance. St. Pierre, in his Voyage to the 

 Isle of France, observed this animal overcome by 

 a flight of ants, which attacked it in conjunction; 

 and after seizing it by all its legs, triumphantly 

 bore the body along, as workmen would have 

 done a large piece of timber. 



With the hornet, the bee, and the wasp, and 

 the stings which they inflict, you must be too 

 familiar, to render it necessary for me to enter 

 into their natural history. I shall therefore 

 briefly observe, that the sting of these insects is 

 composed of three parts the sheath and two 

 darts, which are extremely small and penetrating. 

 Each of these darts has two small points, or 

 barbs like fish hooks ; which render the sting 

 more painful, and cause the dart to rankle in the 

 wound. The sheath, which has a sharp point, 

 makes the first impression, which is followed by 

 that of the darts ; and from these, the venomous 

 liquor is ejected into the wound, to which the 

 sheath sometimes sticks so fast, that the animal 

 is obliged to leave it behind ; adding much to the 



