230 MEANS OF DEFENCE OF INSECTS. 
ing to you. One morning I observed on my study win- 
dow a little lady-bird yellow with black dots (Coccinella 
22-punctata, L.)—** You are very pretty,” said I to 
myself, “and I should like to have a collection of such 
creatures.” Immediately I seized my prey, and not 
knowing how to destroy it, I immersed it in geneva. 
After leaving it in this situation a day and a night, and 
seeing it without motion, I concluded it was dead, and 
laid it in the sun to dry. It no sooner, however, felt the 
warmth than it began to move, and afterward flew away. 
From this time I began to attend to insects. —The cha- 
meeleon-fly (Stratyomis Chameleon, '.) was observed by 
Swammerdam to retain its vital powers after an immer- 
sion equally long in spirits of wine. Geedart affirms that 
this fly, on which account it was called chameleon, will 
live nine months without food; a circumstance, if true, 
more wonderful than what I formerly related to you with 
respect to one of the aphidivorous flies?.—If insects will 
escape unhurt from a bath of alcohol, it may be supposed 
that one of water will be less to be dreaded by them. 
To this they are often exposed in rainy weather, when 
ruts and hollows are filled with water: but when the 
water is dried up, it is seldom that any dead carcases of 
insects are to be seen in them. Mr. Curtis’ submerged 
the fragile aphides for sixteen hours; when taken out of 
the water they immediately showed signs of life, and out 
of four, three survived the experiment :—an immersion of 
twenty-four hours, however, proved fatal to them®. 
The late ingenious, learned, and lamented Dr. Reeve 
of Norwich once related to me that.he found in a hot 
a Bib. Nal.ii. c. 3. Vor. I. 4th Ed. p. 400. 
b Linn. Trans. vi. 84. 
