ICHNEUMON. 
278 
to chrysalis, when the young brood of Ichneumon- 
larvae creep out by perforating the skin in various 
places, and each spinning itself up in a small oval 
silken case, changes into chrysalis, the whole num- 
ber forming a groupe on the shrivelled body of 
the caterpillar which had afforded them npurish- 
ment; and, after a certain period, emerge in the 
state of complete Ichneumons. One of the most 
familiar examples of this process is afforded by 
the well-known caterpillar of the common white 
or cabbage butterfly, which, in the autumnal sea- 
son may be frequently observed to creep up some 
walk or other convenient surface, in order to 
undergo its own change into chrysalis; but in the 
space of a day or two a numerous tribe of small 
maggots will be seen to emerge from it, and im- 
mediately proceed to envelop themselves in dis- 
tinct yellow' silken cases ; the whole forming a 
groupe around the caterpillar. The Ichneumons 
proceeding from these are the species called by 
Linnagus Ichneumon glomeratus: their colour is 
black, with yellow legs: the}^ usually make their 
appearance in about three weeks from the time of 
their spinning themselves up. Other small species 
of Ichneumon pierce the skins of newly changed 
chrysalises of butterflies and moths, in which their 
larvae remain during their own incomplete state, 
as the Ichneumon puparum of Linnaeus, a very 
small species, of a gilded green colour. Others 
again are so very small that the female pierces 
even the eggs of moths and butterflies, and de- 
posits her own in each, as the Ichneumon ovuloriim 
