COLEOPTERA. 507 
in death.” Here is the story of which this name is destined to 
preserve the remembrance, and which Latreille himself has related 
in his “‘ Histoire des Insectes.”? Before 1792, Latreille was known 
only from some memoirs which he had published on insects. He 
was then priest at Brives-la-Gaillarde, and was arrested with the 
Curés of Limousin, who had not taken the oath. These unfortu- 
nates were taken to Bordeaux, in carts, to be transported to 
Guyana. Arrived at Bordeaux, in the month of June, they were 
incarcerated in the prison of the Grand Séminaire till a ship 
should be ready to take them on board. In the meanwhile, the 
9th Thermidor arrived, and caused the execution of the sentence 
which condemned the priests who had not taken the oath to 
transportation to be for a while suspended. However, the prisons 
emptied themselves but slowly, and those who had been condemned 
had none the less to go into exile. Only their transportation had 
been put off till the spring. 
Latreille remained detained at the prison of the Grand Sémi- 
naire. In the same chamber which he occupied, there was, at 
the time, an old sick bishop, whose wounds a surgeon came 
each morning to dress. One day as the surgeon was dressing the 
bishop’s wounds, an insect came out of a crack in the boards. 
Latreille seized it immediately, examined it, stuck it on a cork 
with a pin, and seemed enchanted at what he had found. 
“Ts it a rare insect then ?” said the surgeon. 
“Yes,” replied the ecclesiastic. 
“Tn that case you should give it to me.” 
‘Why ?”’ 
“Because I have a friend who has a fine collection of insects 
who would be pleased with it.”’ 
“Very well, take him this insect ; tell him how you came by it, 
and beg him to tell me its name.” 
The surgeon went quickly to his friend’s house. ‘This friend 
was Bory de Saint Vincent, a naturalist who became celebrated 
afterwards, but who was very young at that time. He already 
occupied himself much with the natural sciences, and in par- 
ticular with the classing of insects. The surgeon delivered to 
him the one found by the priest, but in spite of all his researches, 
he was unable to class it. 

