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One day, on tearing off some old bark, I saw two rare beetles, and seized one in each hand. Then I saw a third and new kind, which I could not bear to lose, so I popped the one which I held in my right hand into my mouth. Alas! it ejected some intensely acrid fluid, which burnt my tongue so that I was forced to spit the beetle out, which was lost, as was the third one.

One day, on tearing off some old bark, I saw two rare beetles, and seized one in each hand. Then I saw a third and new kind, which I could not bear to lose, so I popped the one which I held in my right hand into my mouth. Alas! it ejected some intensely acrid fluid, which burnt my tongue so that I was forced to spit the beetle out, which was lost, as was the third one.

Approximate author period: c. 1845 AD · industrial

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Attribution & collection notes
Author or tradition
Charles Darwin
Attribution: attributed
Country attributed
Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin.
Historical period
Approximate author period: c. 1845 AD · industrial
author lifetime midpoint (1809–1882)
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Recorded source
Contributor-provided quotation collection

Supplied reference C; CSV row 61749; supplied attribution, independently unverified

A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.