284 



INSECT TRANSFORMATIONS. 



branch. Being furnished with a species of adhesive 

 ghiten, a maggot of this sort applies a portion of this 

 with its mouth to the spot which it has selected for 

 its transformation, and pressing its body upon it, 

 becomes inimoveably glued dovm there. When thus 

 securely fixed, it contracts and shortens its body 

 similarly to the maggot of the blow-fly ; but, instead of 

 becoming, like that, uniformly oblong, the head swells 

 out and the tail becomes slender, till it terminates in 

 a point, just reversing the previous form of the mag- 

 got, which is rounded at the tail and pointed at the 

 head. When the change is completed, indeed, it 

 is a good deal in the form of one of Prince Rupert's 

 glass drops. When we first met with these pupae, in- 

 deed, we concluded they were galls, and were not a 

 little surprised to see large wasp-looking flies issue 

 from them ; but as they may be found in considerable 

 abundance, it becomes easy to gratify curiosity and 

 to confirm the facts just stated. It may not be out of 

 place to remark, that several species of ichneumon 



^axiiirs> 



n. Pupa of blow fly, b, Uie s;iinc miignifiotl. c, head of pupa- 

 rium opened to show" the cast mandibles, d, piija of Si/rphus. 



