Chapter IV. 



Hybernation of Insect Eggs. — Ingenuity of Moths. — Singularities of 

 Cochenille Insects and of Spiders. — Experiments of Spallanzani and 

 John Hunter. 



The assertion of Paley that ^ the human animal is 

 the only one which can clothe itself,'*" though it ac- 

 cords with what is known of quadrupeds, birds, and 

 fishes, by no means holds good in the insect world, in 

 which it may be disproved by the most superficial 

 observer. "f Men, indeed, proceed by means of rea- 

 soning and experiment to the discovery of such ma- 

 terials as are best fitted for protecting their bodies 

 against the vicissitudes of temperature, and other 

 changes of weather ; while insects are taught by the 

 Governor of the Universe to select instinctively the 

 best materials for their clothing. This is exemplified 

 in a very remarkable manner in the coverings made 

 by different families for protecting their eggs, as we 

 shall now describe. 



The maternal affection of the eider duck {Anas 

 mollissimay Linn.) has frequently been celebrated by 

 naturalists, from her stripping the down from her own 

 breast to form her nest, a circumstance which is also 

 exemplilied in the common rabbit ; but both of these 

 animals are outrivalled by more than one moth : — 

 for the latter, not contented with a nest made of their 

 own down, take pains to cover with it each individual 

 egg. The provision which nature has made for this 

 purpose is worthy of attention. The female, for ex- 

 ample, of the gypsey moth {Hypogymna clispar) has 

 the hinder parts of her body thickly clothed with a 



* Natural Theology, p. 230, 11th edit. 



t See ' Insect Architecture,' chaps, x, xii, &c. 



