Fabre's book of insects pdf

Jean Henri Fabre, (born Dec. 22, 1823, Saint-Léons, Fr.—died Oct. 11, 1915, Sérignan-du-Comtat), French entomologist famous for his study of the anatomy and behaviour of insects. Largely self-taught, Fabre was appointed a teacher at the lycée of Carpentras, Fr. (1842), was made physics teacher at the lycée of Ajaccio, Corsica (1843–51), and was given a teaching position at the lycée of Avignon (1853). Fabre did important research on the insect orders Hymenoptera (e.g., bees and wasps), Coleoptera (e.g., beetles), and Orthoptera (e.g., grasshoppers, crickets). Based on his observations of the paralyzing actions of wasps in response to stimulating zones in their prey, he described the importance of inherited instinct as a behaviour pattern in insects. In 1866 he isolated from the madder plant a colouring substance, later identified as alizarin, which became useful as a biological stain. He wrote many books to popularize science. Although Fabre never accepted the theory of evolution, his work was respected by Darwin.

Fabre's book of insects pdf by Jean Henri Fabre

Hailed by Darwin as "The Homer of Insects," famed French entomologist Jean Henri Fabre (1823–1915) devoted hours of rapt attention to insects while they hunted, built nests, and fed their families. Working in Provence, in barren, sun-scorched fields inhabited by countless wasps and bees, he observed their intricate and fascinating world, recounting their activities in simple, beautifully written essays. This volume, based on translations of Fabre's Souvenirs Entomologiques, blends folklore and mythology with factual explanation. Fabre's absorbing account of the scarab beetle's existence, for example, begins with the ancient Egyptians' symbolic view of this busy creature, eventually leading to a careful discussion of its characteristic method of rolling a carefully sculpted ball of food to its den. Elsewhere, he discusses with infectious enthusiasm the physiologic secrets behind the luminosity of fireflies, the musical talents of the locust, the comfortable home of the field cricket, and the cannibalism of the pious-looking praying mantis, among other topics. These charmingly related stories of insect life are a rare combination of scientific study and literary classic that will delight entomologists, naturalists, and nature lovers alike.