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Psyche 2:17-18, 1877.

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PSYCHE.
ORGAN OF THE CAMBRIDGE ENTOMOLOGICAL CLUB EDITED BY GEORGE DIMMOCK AND B. PICKMAN MANN. Vol. 11.1 Cambridge, Mass., March-April, 1877. [Nos. 35-36. Experiments on the Vitality of Insects.
The following experiments are given just as recorded in my note book on the spot, and may give a rough idea of the rela- tive vitality of a few insects of different orders. Polistes yallipes St. Fargeau. A male was. beheaded at four in the afternoon.
He was as lively as ever, with the peculiar motions of the species, at eight in the evening of the same day. From another male I removed the abdomen at four in the afternoon. Five different times within five minutes after the operation he lapped moistened sugar, as if nothing had hap- pened. After taking food he cleaned his legs with his maxillae several times. In twenty mimites he was again fed ; a drop of dissolved sugar being placed near, but not touching his mouth- parts ; he potruded his labium at once, and lapped the sugar vigorously, in the usual manner. In forty minutes he fed again, and in three hours and a half after the operation he fed eagerly again and again, seeming to relish his food as much as if not mutilated. At half past nine in the evening, or five and a half hours after the loss of his abdomen, he was evidently dying; the mandibles were set together, he lay on his back, and the tarsi were twitching convulsively, while a female JPolistes which was 'beheaded at four in the afternoon of the previous day was as lively as ever. One would have supposed that the male without abdomen would have outlived the decapitated female.
The female referred to was beheaded at four in the afternoon of the day previous, and was living twenty-four hours after- wards, being lively, standing on her legs and opening and shut-



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ting her wings.
At nine in the evening, or twenty-eight hours after decapitation, she had fallen on her side, with the wings feebly opening and shutting. At ten o'clock the next morning, or forty-one hours after decapitation, she was still alive, moving her legs, and thrusting out her sting when touched. Pelopoeus coeruleus (Linn.). A female which had been de- antennized was soon after beheaded (at twenty minutes past two in the afternoon). She continued to sting vigorously, and buzzed as if in pain. At half past nine in the evening she was still alive, opening and shutting her wings, but was less lively than was a female Polistes pallipes, beheaded at the same time. The Pelopoeus died the next morning.
Ichneumon otiosus Say, or an allied species. On decapitation
it remained very lively, cleaned its wings and legs, the power of co-ordination in its wings and legs remaining. It did not
walk, since the eyes and antennae had been removed. The
next morning it was partially benumbed by the cold, but be- came more lively upon being warmed by the sun. It died at about six in the afternoon, having lived from twenty-five to twenty-seven hours. Another species of Ichneumon lived from twenty-four to thirty-six hours after decapitation. Husca dornestica Linn.
A female beheaded at eight in the
evening flew about in a tumbler and finally out of it, being very lively. She was alive and vigorous at seven o'clock the next morning, cleaning her fore-legs, but not flying when touched. She was lively and flying about at half past nine in the evening, but died about eight o'clock the next morning. The abdomen was removed from another female at eight in the evening. She flew about within the glass in a lively and natural way, rubbing her face with her fore-legs for half an hour after the operation, and seemed much more lively than her headless sister, who remained still at the bottom of 3 the tumbler. She was lively at ten in the evening, but was found dead at seven o'clock the next morning.
Agrotis subgothica Haw.
One was beheaded at forty min-
utes past nine in the evening. It was lively at the night of the fourth day, flying about when disturbed, but at seven in the



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morning of the fifth day it was found nearly dead, slight move- ments of the feet and abdomen being perceptible. Harpalus ealiginosus (Fabr.), beheaded at eleven and a half o'clock in the morning was alive at half past nine in the evening.
It lived from fifteen to twenty hours.
Clytus robiniae Forster. After being beheaded it lived twenty-four hours.
Hylo6ius pales Herbst.
After being beheaded it lived nearly
three days.
Leptiiwtarsa decemlineata Say. On decapitation it lived two and a half days.
A. S. Packard, Jr.
The Effect of a Few Common Gases on Arthropods. CARBONIC DIOXIDE, C02.
This gas acted differently upon
the several individuals, even of the same species,. Coleoptera
generally grew weak gradually, and became motionless in from eight to sixty seconds. Oniscus required a much longer time. Such insects as recovered did so slowly, appearing as if intox- icated and stiff in the joints. The following table will give an idea of the comparative time required for the stupefaction and recovery of a number of species of Coleoptera. Species. Motionless in Remained in Gas
Platynus atratus . . . 15 s. . . . I m. . , Pterostichus caudicalis . 6 s. . . . 2 m. . . Staphylinus maculosus . 20 s. . . . 1 m. . . Coiio~oma basalis . .
20 S. . . . 1 m. . .
u
. . . . . 20s. . . . 1m. . .
it
. . . . . 20s. . . . 1m. . .
i L
. . . . . 20s.. . . 1m.. .
i L
. . . . . 20s. . . . 1m. . .
i i
. . . . . 20s. . . . 5m. . .
it
. . . . . 20s. . . . 5m. . .
Recovered at end of
. 5 m.
. 10 m.
. 2 m. 30 s.
. 2 m. 35 s.
. 3 m. 35 s.
. 4 m. 20 s.
. 4m.50~.
. 6m.20~.
. 11 m.
. 12 m.
Specimens of Oniscus, as may be seen by the following tab- ular statement, behaved very differently in this gas, nor could I discover any difference due to the adult or immature condi- tion of the specimens. They were seized at first with twitch- ings of the limbs, then rolled up in their customary way, some- times unrolled and rolled up again, finally became motionless,



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