MEMOIR ON ANIMAL COTTON. 155 



them, but he does not fucceed in this attempt without 

 the greateft efforts. 



He comes out of this kind of enclofure, entirely flaccid 

 and dull, inftead of his former fat and (hining appearance, 

 his fkin now appears flabby, wrinkled and dirty, and 

 gives him the appearance of decrepitude. He is now an 

 exhaufted, fufiermg being, threatened with approaching 

 death. 



He will 11:111 gnaw a few leaves, but he no longer eats 

 with that voracious appetite, which indicated an adtive 

 and vigorous conftitution. Shortly afterwards he palfes 

 to the ftate of a chrylalis, and after giving life to thou- 

 fands of eggs, he fuddenly lofes his own, leaving to the 

 cultivator who has not yet bethought himfelf of calculat- 

 ing the advantage that he may draw from him, an advan- 

 tage which may be fo improved as to much more than 

 compenfate the ravages which he occafions. 



Shell of the lehneumon Fly. 



I had imagined that the thoufands of little worms 

 which this lliell contains in the cocoons of which it is 

 compofed, would be hatched fome day. 1 fhut it up 

 therefore in a box clofed with great caution. Every 

 morning, and very often in the courfe of the day, I ex- 

 amined it, in order to catch the moment when thofe little 

 animals were to be born a fecond time. 



In fa£t, at the expiration of about eight days, I found 

 the infide of the box lined with a cloud of little flies. I 

 made myfelf certain that they iifued out of the little co- 

 coon. Several w^hich iflTued out of them before my eyes, 

 left me no doubt as to the facft. 



1 then took up fome of thofe flies, and putting them 

 on a pincer, 1 examined them with a microlcope. 



They 



