284 
MR. NEWPORT ON THE TEMPERATURE OF INSECTS. 
rose to 61 0, 5 F. I then took a single beetle which had been remaining quiet, and having 
secured him with the forceps, opened the abdomen quickly with a pair of scissors, 
and introduced the bulb of a fine thermometer. The mercury immediately rose to 
63°"3 Fahr., a difference of 2° above the temperature of the box, and 3°°3 above that 
of the atmosphere, and it was maintained at that height more than ten minutes, after 
which it sunk two or three tenths of a degree, as the energies of the insect became 
impaired. Half an hour after the above observations the temperature of the box had 
risen to 63° Fahr., and the insects were in motion; and when the bulb of the thermo- 
meter was merely allowed to rest upon the backs of several specimens, the mercury 
rose immediately to 65 0, 3 Fahr. When the beetles were again examined on the 23rd 
of May, at 7 a.m., they were perfectly quiet, having fasted since the last observation, 
being now a space of eighty-two hours since they were captured and had taken food. 
Atmosphere 60°‘5 Fahr., of the box with the beetles 61 0, 3, thermometer introduced 
carefully among the beetles 61 0, 5, but when introduced as above into the body of a 
single beetle it rose to 63 0, 3 Fahr. One hour after this, at 8 a.m., atmosphere 64°, 
the temperature of the box was 66°, and the temperature of the interior of the body 
of a quiet beetle was 69°”2. At 8^ a.m., atmosphere 64 0, 5, thermometer applied to 
the exterior of the body of a female beetle that had been respiring very rapidly and 
preparing for flight, the mercury rose to 69°’3, and continued to rise in proportion to 
the degree of respiration of the insect. At 8f a.m. the insect just employed was 
placed on its back for half an hour, during which time it was respiring very rapidly, 
and endeavouring to escape, and its temperature had risen at the expiration of this 
period to 74 0, 5, while that of the atmosphere was G5°‘5, a difference of 9°, so that 
although this insect had now been entirely without food for nearly eighty-four hours, 
its long abstinence had very little diminished its power of generating heat. A male 
specimen was then placed under almost precisely similar circumstances, and its tem- 
perature rose to 74°. At 6 p.m., atmosphere 64°T, the same female specimen which 
had been employed in the morning, but which subsequently had been lying at rest 
for several hours, and was still reposing, had a temperature of 6G°‘3, a difference of 
only 2 0- 2, while the same male specimen that had been employed in the morning and 
had since been at rest, but was now respiring again very freely, and attempting to 
escape, had a temperature of 69 0, 1, a difference of 5° above that of the atmosphere, 
thus fairly leading to the inference that the amount of temperature is in proportion 
to the quantity of respiration. 
At 7 p-m. May 24. — The temperature of a female specimen which had been at rest 
since the morning in its natural haunts clinging to the leaves of a lime tree was very 
carefully taken without disturbing it, by applying the thermometer to its abdomen, 
and was found to be only 62°’6, or one tenth of a degree only above that of the 
atmosphere ; so that, like the temperature of the hybernating Mammalia, it had sunk 
down during its rest almost to a level with that of the surrounding atmosphere. 
