no 



TRANSFORMATIONS OF INSECTS. 



hairy tubercles upon them which are illuminated with vivid colours, 

 and others carry spines which are very elegantly branched and 

 twisted. They produce plenty of silk, and make large cocoons 

 of it between the leaves of the trees they live upon before 

 their metamorphosis. 



There is one of them which is rather common in Europe, the 

 Attaciis pavonia major, and another, which is found in England, 

 Attacjis pavonia minor (or Saturnid) the Emperor Moth. The 

 first-mentioned Attacus, which the French call the Night Peacock, 

 lives, when in the caterpillar state, on fruit trees and elms. The 

 caterpillar prepares for transformation towards August, and leaves 

 the trees, and wanders over the roads, and crawls up walls in 



1 2 3 4 



FEET OF THE CATERPILLARS OF MOTHS. 



I. Sesia apiformis. 2. Attacus pavonia major. 3. CucuUia verbasci. 4. Noctua segetum. 



order to seek a safe shelter for its cocoon, and it is then often 

 discovered and made captive. But should a comfortable place 

 be obtained, a large, pear-shaped cocoon is spun, which is hard, 

 and contains much gummy matter. It is open at the smaller 

 end, and the fibres of it are so arranged that nothing can come 

 in, whilst the moth, when it is ready, can go out with ease. All 

 insects are thus kept carefully and effectually out of the snug 

 silken house, and the mechanism of this interesting and very 

 safe place depends upon the manner in which the caterpillar 

 weaves the cocoon over itself before passing the silk from one 

 side of it to the other. The feet of some of these caterpillars 

 are very interesting, and those of the Attacus pavonia major are 



