The Insect

Book Ii.--Mission and Arts of the Insect.

I. SWAMMERDAM, 129 II. THE MICROSCOPE:--HAS THE INSECT A PHYSIOGNOMY? 143 III. THE INSECT AS THE AGENT OF NATURE IN THE ACCELERATION OF DEATH AND LIFE, 155 IV. THE INSECT AS MAN'S AUXILIARY, 165 V. A PHANTASMAGORIA OF LIGHT AND COLOUR, 175 VI. THE SILKWORM, 185 VII. INSTRUMENTS OF THE INSECT: AND ITS CHEMICAL ENERGIES, AS IN THE COCHINEAL AND THE CANTHARIDES, 193 VIII. ON THE RENOVATION OF OUR ARTS BY THE STUDY OF THE INSECT, 201 IX. THE SPIDER--INDUSTRY--THE STOPPAGE, 211 X. THE HOME AND LOVES OF THE SPIDER, 223

Book Iii.--Communities of Insects.

I. THE CITY IN THE SHADOWS: THE TERMITES, OR WHITE ANTS, 235 II. THE ANTS:--THEIR DOMESTIC ECONOMY--THEIR NUPTIALS, 245 III. THE ANTS:--THEIR FLOCKS AND THEIR SLAVES, 259 IV. THE ANTS:--CIVIL WAR--EXTERMINATION OF THE COMMUNITY, 271 V. THE WASPS: THEIR FURY OF IMPROVISATION, 283 VI. "THE BEES" OF VIRGIL, 293 VII. THE BEE IN THE FIELDS, 301 VIII. THE BEES AS ARCHITECTS: THE CITY, 311 IX. HOW THE BEES CREATE THE PEOPLE AND THE COMMON MOTHER, 321

CONCLUSION, 333

ILLUSTRATIVE NOTES, 341

ANALYSIS OF SUBJECTS, 363

List of Illustrations.

DRAWN BY H. GIACOMELLI.

Engraved by Page The Pursuit, Rouget, Frontispiece A Home among the Mountains--Lucerne, Sargent, 15 On the Watch, Berveiller, 17 Border--Amongst the Flowers, Berveiller, 18 Border--Insect Life, Berveiller, 19 Border--Mailed Insects, Méaulle, 20 Border--Bees and Beetles, Méaulle, 21 Border--Grasshoppers and Beetles, Méaulle, 22 Tailpiece--Naturalist's "Traps," Berveiller, 22 Border--Caterpillars, Coste, 23 Tailpiece--The Author's Implements, Ansseau, 35 The Forest of Fontainebleau, Rouget, 39 The Woodpecker, Berveiller, 46 Tailpiece--Flowers, Morison, 52 Fallen Fruit, Whymper, 55 Horned Beetles, Méaulle, 57 The Childhood's Home of Madame Michelet, Rouget, 59 Tailpiece--Insect Prey, Méaulle, 63 A Winged Intruder, Sargent, 65 War! Méaulle, 67 Between Chillon and Clarens, Jonnard, 71 The Field--Various Insects, Berveiller, 72 Tailpiece--An Etherized Prisoner, Méaulle, 75 World-Builders, Méaulle, 77 Polyzoa, Jonnard, 79 "Food for Fishes," Jonnard, 82 Coral Island, Whymper, 84 Tailpiece--Shells, Jonnard, 85 Sunshine and Shade, Jonnard, 87 Love and Death, Méaulle, 89 In the Wood, Sargent, 91 Gathering Sweets, Berveiller, 92 Tailpiece--A Shady Nook, Morison, 95 Nest of Humble-Bee, Rouget, 97 "The Chilly One," Sargent, 99 Tailpiece--Cocoon, Berveiller, 105 The Dragon-Fly, Jonnard, 107 The Sacred Beetle of the Egyptians, Jonnard, 109 Butterflies and Flowers, Jonnard, 112 Tailpiece--Chrysalis, Sargent, 115 The Phoenix, Méaulle, 117 Seeking the Light, Whymper, 119 A Winged Warrior, Berveiller, 122 The Imperial Weevil, Berveiller, 123 Tailpiece--The Weevil on the Mountain-Top, Morison, 124 Swammerdam, Méaulle, 127 Dutch Landscape, Méaulle, 129 "Melancholy Meads," Ansseau, 132 A Tempest on the Dutch Coast, Méaulle, 137 Tailpiece--The Task, Ansseau, 139 Under the Microscope, Méaulle, 141 A Philosopher's "Den," Coste, 143 Tailpiece--A Finished Task, Ansseau, 151 A Coleopterous Giant, Méaulle, 153 An Agent of Nature, Rouget, 155 "Rhinoceros-like Cuirassiers." Méaulle, 159 Tailpiece--Horned Beetle, Méaulle, 162 Man's Auxiliary, Rouget, 163 Carabidæ, Jonnard, 165 Hunting the Enemy, Ansseau, 168 Tailpiece--The Pilgrim Locust, Ansseau, 172 Aerial Beauties, Sargent, 173 The Acrocinus, Whymper, 175 Streaked Taupin, and Earwig, Ansseau, 176 Buprestidans, Coste, 179 Tailpiece--Butterfly and Flower, Berveiller, 182 Insect Manufacturers Méaulle, 183 The Dead-Leaf Moth, Sargent, 185 Cocoons, Jonnard, 188 Tailpiece--A Prisoner, Jonnard, 189 Long-Horned Beetles, Méaulle, 191 Insects and their Weapons, Méaulle, 193 Tailpiece--Cat and Cantharides, Ansseau, 197 A Thing of Beauty, Jonnard, 199 Leaf-Rollers, Berveiller, 201 Grasshopper of Guiana, Ansseau, 203 Cassida, Coste, 205 Tailpiece--Insects "Fantastic and Wonderful," Méaulle, 207 The Spider, Rouget, 209 Aquatic Spiders, Jonnard, 211 On the Look-out, Berveiller, 216 Blue-Bottles and Beetles, Ansseau, 217 Tailpiece--Bird-catching Spider, Berveiller, 219 The Garden Spider, Jonnard, 221 Trap-door Spider and House, Sargent, 223 Spider and Butterfly, Méaulle, 226 Tailpiece--The Musical Spider, Ansseau, 230 The City in the Shadows, Méaulle, 233 Ruins Caused by the Termites in Valencia, Méaulle, 235 Tailpiece--Termites (Solders, Worker, and Female) from the Coast of Guinea, Berveiller, 241 Ants at Work, Rouget, 243 The Nuptials of the Ants, Jonnard, 245 Nest of Russet Ants, Rouget, 249 Carpenter Ants, Berveiller, 253 Tailpiece--Ants and Flowers, Jonnard, 255 A Migration of Ants, Rouget, 257 Roses, Grubs, and Ants, Whymper, 259 A Feast for the Ants, Berveiller, 266 Tailpiece--Honey-making Ants, Ansseau, 268 The Nightingale--"Dreaming and Listening," Rouget, 269 Bramble and Ants, Berveiller, 271 Tailpiece--The Unhappy Fugitive, Berveiller, 280 The Home of the Wasps, Rouget, 281 Polystes and their Nests, Berveiller, 283 Eumenes domiformes and their Nests, Sargent, 287 Tailpiece--Wasp and Fruit, Méaulle, 289 A Tomb at Père-Lachaise, Sargent, 291 The Living and the Dead, Berveiller, 293 Tailpiece--Virgilian Bees, Berveiller, 298 The Bee in the Fields, Berveiller, 299 Bees and Wild Flowers, Berveiller, 301 Bees and Blossoms, Berveiller, 305 Tailpiece--Drone Bee, Berveiller, 308 "Busy Bees," Méaulle, 309 The Sphinx Atropos, Méaulle, 311 Tailpiece--A Winged Brigand, Méaulle, 317 Bees on the Wing, Méaulle, 319 Inside the Hive, Berveiller, 321 Bees in Search of the Natural Hive, Jonnard, 326 Tailpiece--Queen-Bee, Berveiller, 329 The Praying-Mantis, and other Insects, Berveiller, 331 Lady-Birds and Grain, Méaulle, 333 Butterfly and Moth, Jonnard, 334 The Stag-Beetle, Méaulle,, 335 Tailpiece--The Author's Visitors, Berveiller, 338 Book, Flowers, and Insects, Berveiller, 339 Stag-Beetle, Sargent, 341 Carabus Auratus, Sargent, 345 A Sacrifice to Science, Méaulle, 346 Horned Centrote and Globular Bocydie, Sargent, 347 Beetle, Méaulle, 348 Caterpillar and Leaf, Sargent, 348 Butterfly and Flower, Sargent, 350 Rhinoceros-horned Beetle, Méaulle, 351 Birds and Lady-Bird, Berveiller, 351 Wasps, Morison, 352 Tuft-horned Beetle, Morison, 353 Garden Spider, Morison, 354 Termite: Long-sheathed Nymph, Ansseau, 354 Rhinoceros-horned Beetle, Morison, 356 Dragon-Fly and Ants, Ansseau, 356 Wasps, Berveiller, 357 Bees, Ansseau, 358 Bird and Butterfly, Berveiller, 362

Introduction.

THE LIVING INFINITE.

We have followed the Bird in all its liberties of flight, and space, and light; but the Earth which we quitted would not quit us. The sweet melodies of the winged world could not prevent us from hearing the murmur of an infinite world of shadow and silence, which, wanting the speech of man, expresses itself, nevertheless, with eloquent force, by means of a myriad mute tongues.

A universal appeal made to us simultaneously by all Nature, from the depths of Earth and Sea, from the bosom of every plant, from the very air which we breathe.

The eloquent appeal of the ingenious arts of the Insect, of its powers of love so vividly manifested through its wings and colours, in the brilliant scintillation with which it enkindles our nights.

An appeal which becomes frightful from the number of those who make it. What is the little tribe of Birds, or that of Quadrupeds, compared with them? All the animal species, all the various forms of life, brought face to face with this one family, disappear, and are as nothing. Put the world on one side, and on the other the Insect World; the latter has the advantage.

Our collections contain about one hundred thousand species. But taking into consideration that every plant at the least nourishes three, we obtain the result, according to the number of known plants, of three hundred and sixty thousand species of insects! And each, be it remembered, of prodigious fecundity.

Now call to mind that every creature nourishes other creatures on its surface, in the thickness of its solids, in its fluids, and in its blood; that each insect is a little world inhabited by insects; and that these again have parasites of their own.

Is this all? No; in the masses men have supposed to be mineral or inorganic, animals are now revealed to us of which it would take a thousand millions to form one inch in thickness,--the which do not the less present us with a rough sketch or outline of the Insect, and have a right to be spoken of as insects commenced. And what are the numbers of these? A single species accumulates the Apennines out of its débris, and with its atoms has raised up that enormous backbone of America, the Cordilleras.

* * * * *

Having arrived at this point, we think our review is ended. Patience! The molluscs, which in the Southern Seas have created so many islands,--which literally pave, as recent soundings have shown, the twelve hundred leagues of Ocean separating us from America,--these molluscs are qualified by many naturalists with the name of embryo insects; so that their fertile tribes form, as it were, a dependency of the higher race,--candidates, one might say, for the rank of Insect.

This is sublime. The reason that, nevertheless, makes me regret the little world of Birds,--those charming companions which bore me aloft on their wings not long ago,--is not their harmonious concerts, is not even the spectacle of their airy and sublime life--but because they understood me!

We comprehended and we loved one another; we interchanged our languages. I spoke for the Bird, and the Bird sang for me.

Having fallen from heaven at the threshold of the sombre kingdom, and in the presence of the mute and mysterious sons of night, what language am I to invent, and what signs of intelligence? How am I to exercise my wits to discover a mode of communicating with them? My voice and gestures do but drive them away. There is no glance of recognition in their eyes; no emotion visible on their inscrutable mask. Under its warrior-cuirass the Insect remains impenetrable. Does its heart--for it has one--beat after the fashion of mine? Its senses are infinitely subtle, but do they resemble my senses? It seems as if they still remained apart, unknown, ay, and without a name.

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