and the Insect which produces'Ht. 121 



animal cotton in many respects superior to vegetable cotton. 

 An intelligent member of the American Philosophical So- 

 ciety, M. Baudry des Lozieres, has drawn up an interesting 

 memoir on this cotton, and the insect which produces it. 



ff Every inhabitant of the West Indies," says this gen- . 

 tleinan, " knows and dreads the greedy worm which de- 

 vours their indigo and cassada plantations; it is called bv 

 some the cassada worm ; by others, the fly-carrier ; and is 

 produced, like the silk-worm, from eggs scattered by the 

 mother after her metamorphosis into a whitish butterfly. 

 The ag^r is hatched about the end of July, when the animal 

 is decked with a robe of the most brilliant and variegated 

 colours. In the month of August, when about to undergo 

 Us metamorphosis, it strips off its superb robe and puts on 

 one of a beautiful sea green, which reflects all its various 

 .sliades according to the different undulations of the animal, 

 and the different accidents of light. This new decoration 

 is the signal for its tortures. Immediately a swarm of ich- 

 neumon flies assail it, and drive their stings into the skin 

 of their victim over the whole extent of its back and sides, 

 at the same time slipping their eggs into the bottom of the 

 wounds that they have made. 



" Having performed this dreadful operation, the flies dis- 

 appear, and the patient remains for an hour in a motionless 

 state, out of which it awakens to feed with great voracity. 

 Then his size daily increases till the time of his hatching of 

 the ichneumon flies. The eggs deposited are hatched at 

 the same moment, and the cassada is instantly covered with 

 a thousand little worms. They issue out of him at every 

 pore, and that animated robe covers him so entirely, that 

 nothing can be perceived but the top of his head. As soon. 

 as the worms are -hatched, and without quitting the spot 

 where the eggs are which they have broken through, they, 

 yield a liquid gum, which, by coming into contact with 

 the air, is rendered slimy -ami solid. Each of these ani- 

 malcula works himself a small cocoon, in the shape of an. 

 egg, in which he wraps himself, thus making, as it were, 

 disown winding-sheet. They- seem to be born but to die. 

 These millions of cocoons, all close to each other, and the 

 formation of which has not taken two hours, form a white 

 robe, and in this the cassada worm appears elegantly clothed. 

 While they are thus decking him, he remains in a state of 

 almost lethargic torpidity. 



" As soon as the covering is woven, and the little work" 

 men, who have made it, have retired and hidden themselves 

 in their cells, the worm endeavours to rid himself of his 



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