Half hours with insects . assing by the flea and the itch mites, which end the listof human parasites, and whose habits and appearance are sowell known, we will dwell fur a few moments on the poison-ous insects which trouble man. The i)oison of all insects,judging from the chemical comi)osition of that of a few kindswhich has been analyzed, is alkaline in its nature, and hasfor its main ingredient formic acid, a substance peculiar tothe secretions of insects. The sting of the bee is simply a modified form of the ovi-positor of the ichneumon fly (Fig. 58, from Ilguier) andthe saw of the saw fly
Half hours with insects . assing by the flea and the itch mites, which end the listof human parasites, and whose habits and appearance are sowell known, we will dwell fur a few moments on the poison-ous insects which trouble man. The i)oison of all insects,judging from the chemical comi)osition of that of a few kindswhich has been analyzed, is alkaline in its nature, and hasfor its main ingredient formic acid, a substance peculiar tothe secretions of insects. The sting of the bee is simply a modified form of the ovi-positor of the ichneumon fly (Fig. 58, from Ilguier) andthe saw of the saw fly. It is composed of three pairs of 9 74 HALF HOUKS WITH INSECTS. [Packaed, slender blades; the innermost, forming the sting proper,being barbed at the end so that when darted into the fleshof its victim it often remains and the bee stings but poison gland or bag empties into the sting, the poison-ous fluid being forced by the pressure of the walls of thebody upon the sac, there being apparently no special muscles. Ichneiinioa Fly. adapted for the purpose. The sting of the wasp is like thatof the bee. The celebrated Reaumur, as quoted by , thus discourses on the effect of the sting of waspson himself and his servant: Being stung by a wasp, Ithought I might gain something from his infliction by bear-ing it with a good grace. I allowed the animal to wound 10 PACKARD] RELATIOIS^S OF INSECTS TO MAN. 75 me at his leisure ; when he had withdrawn his sting of hisown accord I irritated and jjlaced him on the hand of adomestic, who Avas not expecting to be stung, but the wounddid not cause him much pain. I then made the wasp stingme a second time, when I scarcely felt it. The poisonousfluid was nearly exhausted by the former experiments, and Icould not induce the wasp to make a fourth w^ound. Thisexperiment and others, which people will probably not careto repeat, have taught me that where the animals are undis-turbed the sting is never left in the wound. The sting isfle
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, booksubjectinsects, bookyear1881
