158 ON THE BLIGHT 



attached ; others, with violent contortions, slowly 

 ascending their silken filaments ; and all, as they 

 were wafted to and fro, fantastically dancing in 

 the agitated air, without any visible support ; their 

 lines being too attenuated to be discerned by the 

 unassisted eye; except when they occasionally 

 reflected, with a silvery lustre, the vivid light of 

 the unclouded sun. The spectacle, as may be 

 supposed, was at once highly singular and inte- 

 resting. 



During the continuation of these insects in the 

 larva state, various species of the feathered 

 tribes feasted upon them luxuriously. The wil- 

 low-wrens, white-throats, and, indeed, the war- 

 blers generally, were among the most vigilant 

 and destructive of their enemies, and must have 

 reduced their numbers greatly. The finches also, 

 particularly the chaffinch and house-sparrow, 

 were indefatigable in quest of them; and even 

 the domestic poultry sought with avidity for 

 those which, by design or accident, descended 

 to the ground. 



In the month of June, they underwent their 

 second change, or were converted into chrysa- 

 lides ; and in this almost inactive stage of exist- 

 ence, in which several of the animal functions 

 are suspended, and others are only imperfectly 



