THE TRIBE OF THE ANGLE-WINGS 157 



parts of the fully formed chrysalid until at last, and in 

 scarcely more than one minute of time, the entire skin is 

 gathered about the hind feet. It now bends itself violently 

 to disengage the end of the chrysalis, which is long, pointed, 

 and hard, furnished with several little hooks, meanwhile 

 retaining its hold of the skin by the folds of its abdomen 

 until after a severe effort, convulsively reaching out and 

 feeling in all directions for the object of its search, it 

 touches the button of silk and at once grasps it with its 

 hooks and fixes them in it securely. Then by a twisting 

 motion it manages to disengage the loose skin which falls 

 to the ground and the chrysalis rests. The whole process 

 is most interesting to witness and excites renewed wonder 

 with every repetition at the ingenuity of the means em- 

 ployed and the delicacy of the instinct displayed. How to 

 strip off the skin and much more the legs by which the 

 creature is suspended without losing its hold, and at the 

 same time to securely fasten the chrysalis, is a problem 

 that would seem impossible to solve; and yet this little 

 insect accomplishes it unerringly when to fail would 

 be certain destruction And not this species only, but 

 the larvae of all butterflies which form suspended 

 chrysalids, embracing the whole of the great family of 

 Nymphalidae, that is, a large proportion of all the 

 existing species of butterflies, undergo a similar trans- 

 formation. 



"The chrysalis is now green in color, soft and inde- 

 fensible, susceptible to the slightest injury, and for a few 

 moments the several parts of the future butterfly may be 

 seen and readily separated; the wings folded close and en- 

 veloping the thorax, the antennae, and proboscis stretched 

 at length along the back; but very speedily a complete 



