IN THE GENUS BASILARCHIA 33 



processes. Altogether it is a rather hideous beast. 

 Then too, if disturbed, it raises the front half of 

 its body from the ground and uses it as a kind of 

 whiplash, throwing it to one side and the other 

 with o-reat violence. When it walks, it moves 

 with a slow and cautious tread, its head trembling 

 as if it had the palsy. All this is doubtless to 

 inspire fear to such enemies as might be tempted 

 to attack it, but to how much avail we can hardly 

 tell. It is certainly attacked in considerable 

 numbers by a parasitic hymenopteron, the young 

 of which live within on the juices of the body 

 and escape from the chrysalis when that is 

 formed. 



The chrysalis, helpless thing, probably hangs 

 quite exposed upon the stem of the plant which 

 has given the caterpillar nourishment. We know 

 it almost entirely from those raised in confine- 

 ment. It has an oddly shaped form, with a great 

 projection on the back like a Roman nose, and 

 is of a dark green or greenish brown color varied 

 with cream color, and smooth as if varnished. 

 This makes it appear like a hanging lump of bird 

 dung, and so again must often prevent its 

 being picked off and devoured by some hungry 

 bird. 



