LEPIDOPTERA. 217 



and to make itself fast to the silken tuft by the minute hooks with 

 which the hinder extremity is provided. Not having the assist- 

 ance of a transverse loop to support its body while it disengages 

 its tail, the attempt would seem perilous in the extreme, if not im- 

 possible. Without having witnessed the operation, we should 

 suppose that the insect would inevitably fall, while endeavouring to 

 accomplish its object. But, although unprovided with ordinary 

 limbs, it is not left without the means to extricate itself from its 

 present difficulty. The hinder and tapering part of the chrysalis 

 consists of several rings or segments, so joined together as to be 

 capable of moving from side to side upon each other; and these 

 supply to it the place of hands. By bending together two of these 

 rings near the middle of the body, the chrysalis seizes, in the 

 crevice between them, a portion of the empty caterpillar-skin, and 

 clings to it so as to support itself while it withdraws its tail from 

 the remainder of the skin. It is now wholly out of the skin, to 

 which it hangs suspended by nipping together the rings of its 

 body ; but, as the chrysalis is much shorter than the caterpillar, it 

 is yet at some distance from the tuft of silk, to which it must 

 climb before it can fix in it the hooks of its hinder extremity. To 

 do this, it extends the rings of its body as far apart as possible, 

 then, bending together two of them above those by which it is 

 suspended, it catches hold of the skin higher up, at the same time 

 letting go below, and, by repeating this process with different 

 rings in succession, it at length reaches the tuft of silk, entangles 

 its hooks among the threads, and then hangs suspended without 

 further risk of falling. It next contrives to dislodge the cast cat- 

 erpillar-skin by whirling itself around repeatedly, till the old skin 

 is finally loosened from its attachment and falls to the ground. 

 The whole of this operation, difficult as it may seem, is performed 

 in the space of a very few minutes, and rarely does the insect fail 

 to accomplish it successfully and safely. 



The caterpillars of many of the four-footed butterflies are spiny, 

 or have their backs armed with numerous projecting points ; 

 these, in some, are short, and soft, and beset all around with very 

 small stiff hairs, in others they are long, hard, and sharp prickles, 

 which generally are furnished with little stiff branches. The but- 

 terflies have the knobs of the antennae short and broad ; the feelers 

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