VIVIPAROUS FLY. 195 
had all entered the ground. This one, which lay between the flesh 
and the earth, was the straggler of the company. Perhaps it was 
weak, as it was making ineffectual efforts to follow its companions 
in their search for proper places for their pupa sleep. But why 
should it be weak? It certainly was as large—it seemed, I 
thought, even larger than any of those that had successfully retired. 
Pray, you, who think that instinct cannot err, are there not larve 
which are gluttons? Or, turning to the man of facts, do larvæ 
ever overfeed? Whatever the facts may be, the case suggested 
parallel instances, wherein bipedal gourmands had found it diffi- 
cult to get away from the relics of the feast, although all else were 
comfortably off to their dormitories. 
I now carefully examined the earth in the flower-pot, and found 
the larvee of large size and in holes reaching nearly to the bot- 
tom of the pot. They are now six days old, and have 
left the flesh just half a day. Measuring one of these 
white maggots of the average size, its length in fractions 
of an inch was .50 and the breadth was .25. It should 
be remembered that, generally, larve when disturbed 
contract their dimensions. The same larva when in mo- 
tion was in length .85. One of these fully grown larve 
(Fig. 35) was put into alcohol of ninety-five proof. It 
continued quite active for 84 minutes, and sustained life F 
in this element 134 minutes, all of which time it was J 
completely immersed in the fluid. 
June 22d.—The larvee have taken on their brown pupa 
cases, and pretty things they are, of a cylindrical form, teria ae 
with an erect little fringe at the posterior end, something F's" Fiy. 
like the crown on a whortleberry (Fig. 35). There are still three 
of these white grubs that have not yet taken on their pupa change, 
These, though rather lively when disturbed, like other indolent 
people, must be regarded as laggards, for all that, and so were 
taken out and devoted to experiment. One was immersed in clear 
turpentine, another in Fowler’s solution of arsenic, and the third 
in essence of peppermint of full strength. Repeating the previous 
experiment the results stand thus: 
A fully grown larva six days old in 95 per cent. alcohol was quite 
active for 84 minutes, and lived 134 minutes; of the fully grown 
larvæ seven days old, the one in turpentine spun rapidly in the 
fluid, and motion ceased in 27 minutes; the one in essence of . 
Fig. 35, 
(a 
