MUSCULAR STRENGTH OF INSECTS. 183 



common to the head and gullet, gives a total of 

 40G1.* 



' Any lady,' says Kirby and Spence, ' fond of 

 going to be tempted with an exhibition of fine lace, 

 would experience an unexpected gratification could 

 she be brought to examine the muscles of a caterpillar 

 under the microscope : with wonder and delight she 

 would survey the innumerable muscular threads that 

 in various directions envelope the gullet, stomach, 

 and lower intestines of one of those little animals; — 

 some running longitudinally, others transversely, 

 others crossing each other obliquely, so as to form 

 a pattern of rhomboids or squares ; others, again, 

 surrounding the intestine like so many rings, and 

 almost all exhibiting the appearance of being v/oven, 

 and resembling fine lace, — one pattern ornamenting 

 one organ ; another, a second ; and another, a 

 third. 't 



We put the caterpillar of the goat-moth, to which 

 we have before alluded, under a bellglass, which weigh- 

 ed nearly half a pound, and of course more than ten 

 times the weight of the insect ; yet it raised it up 

 with the utmost ease. We then placed over the glass 

 the largest book which we had at hand — ' Loudon's 

 Encyclopedia of Gardening,' consisting of about 1500 

 pages of strong paper, and weighing four pounds; but 

 this did not succeed in preventing the escape of the 

 animal, which raised the glass, tliough loaded with the 

 book, nearly a hundred times its own weight, and made 

 good its exit. J The multiplicity of its muscles above 

 enumerated, two hundred and thirty-six of which are 

 situated in the leo;s alone, will enable us to understand 

 how this extraordinary fete was performed. Even this 

 power of muscle, however, would doubtless have been 



* Lyonnet, Traite Anat. de la Chenille, pp. ISS, 584. 

 t Intr. iv, 186. t J- R. 



