INSECTS. 



CHAPTER I. 



ON THE NATURE OF THE METAMORPHOSES OF INSECTS, ILLUS- 

 ' TRATED IN THE TRANSFORMATIONS OF THE BUTTERFLY. 



Litroductory — Singularity of Transformations — Remarkable Cat- 

 erpillar of the Swallow-tailed Butterfly — True nature of Chrysa- 

 lides, and misstatement respecting them — Structure of Chrysalides 

 — Errors of Goedart — Golden Chrysalides — Inquiry how the 

 Fluids of Chrysalides are converted into Solids — Experiments 

 of Reaumur — Analogy of the inactive State of a Chrysalis with 

 the chewiiig of the Ctid in Animals — State of the Chrysalis when 

 ready to disclose the Butterfly — Extrication of the Fly — Exten- 

 sion of the AntenncB and Tongue — Supposed Uses of the Anten- 

 nae — Expansion of the Wings — Scales of the Wings. 



In the fifth and sixth chapters of our preceding 

 volume, we have detailed the history and proceed- 

 ings of various kinds of caterpillars ; and in. the con- 

 cluding chapter, the seventeenth, we have shown 

 the manoeuvres by which the caterpillars of three 

 kinds of butterflies, viz., the white, or cabbage but- 

 terfly {Pontia BrasstccB), the peacock butterfly {Va- 

 nessa ib), and the swallow-tailed butterfly {Papilio 

 Machaon), eff"ect their transformations to the inac- 

 tive state of a chrysalis ; the other larvae which we 

 have described in the two former chapters likewise 

 belong, with the exception of the caddis worms, to 

 various species of moths. 



In pursuing the history of these transformations 

 it remains for us to show the manner in which the 

 chrysalis state is thrown off", after which the butter- 

 fly appears in all its beauty ; but as the proceedings 

 of the butterfly aff'ord but a very insufficient idea of 



Vol, II.— B 



