Nov. 1, 1869.] 



HAEDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



251 



istic of the species. If, while the wings are growing, 

 they are prevented from spreading by some agency, 

 they will be deformed for ever. Sometimes when 

 the wings are developing, the afflux of liquid is so 

 great that some parts of the wing swell up con- 

 siderably ; and if one of these swellings be opened 

 with a pin and the sac emptied, a singular phenome- 

 non will result ; the wing which has lost so much of 

 its fluids will be smaller than the others, and some- 

 times it will retain the normal form of the wing, 

 only being smaller, while the wound can be detected 

 only on very close observation. I have in my cabi- 

 net a perfect specimen of such an insect : naturalists 

 would regard it as a monstrosity. 



Fig. 221. Cocoon of Telea Polyphemus. 



The moth remains quiet all day, and sometimes 

 all night and the following day, if the night be 

 cold ; but if it be warm and pleasant, at dusk or 

 about eight o'clock, a trembling of the wings is ob- 

 served for a few minutes, and then it tnkes its flight, 

 making three or four circles in the air. The male 

 flies only a few minutes, and then rests for two or 

 three hours in the same place, not making any mo- 

 tion. 



Fig. 222. Pupa of Telea Polyphemus. 



It is worthy of notice that the place of rest is al- 

 ways the extremity of an oak-leaf. Why he remains 

 there so long I could not ascertain. The female 

 continues to fly about the bushes, and though a vir- 

 gin, she lays eggs, which are, however, of no use for 

 the propagation of the species ; she continues so 

 doing for two or three hours, and then rests all 

 night attached to some plant, probably waiting for 

 her mate, who during this time has either remained 

 motionless, or has been feeding on the sweet exu- 

 dation of the oak leaf. Soon after the female moth 

 has laid these useless eggs, the males become very 

 active, and fly in search of their partners, whom 

 they soon discover, especially if there be a slight 

 breeze and the air loaded with vapours. 



The moth lays her eggs on the under side cf the 

 leaves, sometimes on a twig ; generally but a single 



egg is deposited at one place, rarely are two or three 

 found together. 1 have observed that eggs are 

 sometimes laid upon plants which the young larvae 

 refuse to eat, and in several instances where there 

 was no other plant within a long distance ; and con- 

 sequently the young worms died : thus it seems that 

 instinct, like reason, sometimes commits blunders, 

 and is not so infallible a guide as has been supposed. 



The incubation of the eggs lasts ten or twelve 

 days, according to the temperature. The young 

 worm eats its way through the shell of the egg ; 

 sometimes the young larva comes out of the egg 

 tail foremost, as the hole in the shell is large 

 enough to allow of the exit of the tail, but is not 

 large enough for the head to pass through ; so the 

 worm is condemned to die in the egg. As soon as 

 it is fairly hatched out, the larva continues for some 

 time eating the egg-shell, and then crawls upon a 

 leaf, going to the end of it, where it rests for two 

 or three hours, after which it begins to eat. The 

 hatching out takes place early iu the morning, from 

 five till ten o'clock ; rarely after this time. 



The Polyphemus worm, like all other silkworms, 

 changes its skin five times during its larval life. 

 The moulting takes place at regular periods, which 

 come round about every ten days for the first 

 four moultings, while about twenty days elapse 

 between the fourth and fifth moulting. The worm 

 ceases to eat for a day before moulting, and spins 

 some silk on the vein of the under surface of a leaf; 

 it then secures the hooks of its hind legs in the tex- 

 ture it has thus spun, and there remains motionless ; 

 soon after, through the transparency of the skin of 

 the neck, can be seen a second head larger than 

 the first, belonging to the larva within. The 

 moulting generally takes place after four o'clock in 

 the afternoon ; a little before this time the worm 

 holds its body erect, grasping the leaf with the two 

 pairs of hind legs only ; the skin is wrinkled and 

 detached from the body by a fluid which circulates 

 between it and the worm ; two longitudinal white 

 bands are seen on each side, produced by a portion 

 of the lining of the spiracles, which at this moment 

 have been partly detached ; meanwhile the con- 

 tractions of the worm are very energetic, and by it 

 the skin is pulled off and pushed towards the poste- 

 rior part ; the skin thus becomes so extended that 

 it soon tears, first under the neck, and then from 

 the head. When this is accomplished the most 

 difficult operation is over, and now the processTof 

 moulting goes on very rapidly. By repeated con- 

 tractions the skin is folded towards the tail, like a 

 glove when taken off, and the lining of the spiracles 

 comes out in long white filaments. When about 

 one half of the body appears, the shell still remains, 

 like a cap, inclosing the jaws ; then the worm, as if 

 reminded of this loose skull-cap, removes it by rub- 

 bing it on a leaf. This done, the worm finally crawls 

 out of its skin, which is attached to the fastening 



