. The hunting wasps [microform]. Guêpes; Wasps. :'«D«irapE7:iM. The BuprcstiS'hunting Cerceris 15 her prey incorruptible ! Incorruptible, did I say ? It is much more than that! The game is brought to a condition which prevents desic- cation, leaves the joints supple, keeps all the organs, both internal and external, in their pristine freshness, and, in short, places the sacrificed insect in a state that differs from life only by its corpse-like immobility. This is the theory that satisfied Leon Dufour, as he contemplated the incomprehensible marvel of those dead Buprestes proof against corrup-
. The hunting wasps [microform]. Guêpes; Wasps. :'«D«irapE7:iM. The BuprcstiS'hunting Cerceris 15 her prey incorruptible ! Incorruptible, did I say ? It is much more than that! The game is brought to a condition which prevents desic- cation, leaves the joints supple, keeps all the organs, both internal and external, in their pristine freshness, and, in short, places the sacrificed insect in a state that differs from life only by its corpse-like immobility. This is the theory that satisfied Leon Dufour, as he contemplated the incomprehensible marvel of those dead Buprestes proof against corrup- tion. A preserving-fluid, incomparably superior to aught that human science can produce, explains the mystery. He, the master, the ablest of them all, an expert in the niceties of anatomy; he who, with magnifying-glass and scalpel, examined the whole entomological series, leaving no nook or corner unexplored ; he, in short, for whom insect organism possessed'no secrets can think of nothing better than an antiseptic fluid to give at least the semblance of an explanation of a fact that leaves him con- founded. I crave permission to emphasize this comparison >- .ween animal instinct and the reasoning pcxver of the sage in order the better to bring to liglit, in due season, the over- whelming superiority of the former. I will add but a few words to the history of the Buprestis-hunting Cerceris. This Wasp,. Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced for readability - coloration and appearance of these illustrations may not perfectly resemble the original Fabre, J. Henri (Jean Henri), 1823-1915; Teixeira de Mattos, Alexander, 1865-1921. London ; Toronto : Hodder and Stoughton
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, booksubjectwasps, bookyear1916
