1580 Insects. 



every appearance of life was gone. After a short time, five minutes 

 perhaps, — but I did not note the time, as I was not prepared for what 

 followed, — T removed the pin, in order to insert it underneath, pre- 

 paratory to removing the inside, as I find this species often becomes 

 greasy. The moth was perfectly motionless, and I thoroughly cleared 

 its body, and put into it some Fuller's earth to absorb any remaining 

 moisture ; during all which operations I did not perceive the least 

 movement in any part. I again took out the pin, that T might insert 

 it properly for stretching the insect, when to my utter astonishment 

 it walked across the table ! I do not require any one to believe this, 

 because I well remember, some years ago, withholding my belief from 

 a very similar circumstance related to me by a friend — and yet it is 

 true nevertheless. 



If Mr. Wollaston will concede to me an analogy in the manner in 

 which pain is produced in man and insects, I will most readily avail 

 myself of it. First thanking him for warning me against denying the 

 existence of analogy, and assuring him that the reason why I did not 

 employ it in the case under consideration was, that I felt I might be 

 asked to show that there existed any analogy between the manner in 

 which pain is communicated in man and insects, which I was sure I 

 could not. 



I was therefore particularly pleased to find Mr. John Smith impaled, 

 whilst asleep against a tree, by a large iron bar, because 1 thought 

 that if he were an ordinary sized person the iron bar in him would 

 bear a tolerably fair proportion to a pin in an ordinary sized Noctua. 

 In this predicament we are told that Mr. John Smith instantly awakes 

 and kicks vigorously ; and I have not the least doubt of it. Very 

 well : next suppose John recovered, and asleep again ; and, after 

 having procured a suitable bottle, put him into it, and then plunge 

 the bottle into hot water, and, my word for it, he will kick there too. 



Now take a sleeping Noctua, and, without rousing or impaling it, 

 put it quietly into a bottle, and plunge the bottle into hot water, and 

 I know, from experience, that the insect will immediately awake, and 

 plunge about as vigorously, caateris paribus, as John did. But this 

 insect was not impaled ; therefore impale another sleeping Noctua, 

 and, fixing it on a piece of cork, put it into the bottle, and mark the 

 difference in time when the struggles of the two insects commence; 

 and I imagine the difference will be inappreciable. It would be use- 

 less, after impaling, to bottle John, and subject him to the same pro- 

 cess as the impaled insect ; because we have seen that he would kick 

 before, and he could only kick afterwards. 



