122 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



Wonders in the Least-noticed Creatures ; or, Netherland 

 Insects in their Remarkable Householding, Wonderful 

 Transformations, and other Peculiarities worth Knowing.' 

 Described from own observations, pictured after life, done in 

 copper, and coloured by Christian Sepp : printed at Amster- 

 dam, 1762. 



"No. I.— The Gold-cloth Nighi-Jlyer (De Goudlakens 

 nacht-vlinder). — The name of gold-cloth has been given to 

 this beautiful insect, because it seems at first sight to have 

 some similarity to the so-called gold-cloth hen. Possibly 

 many collectors may not yet know this insect, at least not its 

 derivation ; I doubt not then that it will be agreeable to them 

 for me to try to give its history as a topic of the present 

 treatise. In the following manner I have got at the whole 

 householding of this insect. In the latter part of June, 1760, 

 I was busy with my son, outside the town a little, seeking 

 insects, when he found in the stalk or stem of a burdock-bush 

 (klisse-struick) some round holes, which we guessed were 

 made by some insects, and that these might possibly still be 

 hid therein : he cut the stalk off, — but how unlucky, and yet 

 lucky, was this cut, for it went right through the body of a 

 caterpillar ! and this grieved us certainly not a little ; the 

 joy, however, over this new discovery soon caused us to 

 forget the loss, and to strive so much harder after more of 

 such-like 'hermits' (or shall I call them pith-eaters?) ; con- 

 sequently we found that day other five of these caterpillars in 

 the burr-stems : they were all well grown ; we took care not 

 to disturb them in their dwellings, and we brought them safe 

 home; but of these five, only one of them pleased us by 

 turning itself into a pupa and by becoming a fly. That same 

 summer the other four died. Thus far, then, we had dis- 

 covered this insect, but that year there was no chance of 

 learning to know it from the egg, so we were forced to wait till 

 next year. 



" No. 2. — June having come round again we again got 

 some of these caterpillars, which were not yet full grown ; we 

 did not delay to give them always fresh burr-stems, and had the 

 pleasure of seeing enough of them changed into pupae, and 

 then into flies. Consequently it happened that in the month 

 of September a male and female fly one day happened to 

 appear at the same time, and we put them by themselves into 



