INTERNAL ANATOMY OF INSECTS. 139 
From the circumstance that water is absorbed by 
greasy moths, that crystals of a salt are occasionally 
found adhering to them, that they change blue litmus 
paper 7ved,—it has been inferred that their supposed oz/7- 
ness is in fact an acid or acid salt, having the property of 
attracting moisture from the air, the infected moths be- 
ing in fact not greasy, but wet; hence the application of 
chalk and clay, usually recommended in this case, can 
have only a temporary and superficial effect. The only 
effectual remedy, is steeping the body in spirits of wine 
till all the acid is extracted*. This acid is probably the 
same as Chaussier obtained from silk-worms, since called 
Bombic Acid”. 
The poison of bees and wasps, as to its chemical qua- 
lities, is a transparent fluid, at first sweet to the taste, 
but immediately afterwards hot and acrid like the milky 
juice of the spurge; soluble in water, but not in alcohol; 
and separable from the former in the state of white pow- 
der, when the latter is added giving a slight red tinge to 
paper stained with vegetable blue, and when dry and 
chewed appearing tenacious, gummy and elastic. This 
last property, as well as solubility in water and not in 
alcohol, is common also to the poison of the viper, which 
however differs in being tasteless, and not affecting ve- 
getable blues. From hence Fontana concludes that this 
fluid is united with an acid, but in a very small propor- 
tion, and not with an alkali’. The venom of bees is 
extremely active; a grain in weight, it is conjectured, 
would kill a pigeon in a few seconds®*. It is remarkable, 
@ Germar Mag. der Ent. 445—. > Mem. Dijon 1783. ii. 70. 
© Reaum. v. 354. * On Poisons, i. 265—. 
* Thid, 269. 
