22 



the rudimentary wings begin to make liieir appearance. 

 The creature has become much shortened and stouter. The 

 sixteen legs are withered and dried up, no longer of use. 

 The fourth and fifth segments have become much narrower, 

 the third much broader. On looking at the nervous system 

 we shall perceive the cord, instead of being straight (as in 

 fig, 3, No. 2 diagram, below the fifth ganglion) it is now- 

 curved as in fig. 3, No. 1. This curving is in consequence 

 of the shortening of the insect. The fourth and fifth 

 ganglia are thus brought nearer together in short 

 turns. The skin becomes easily detached and splits down 

 the back, all the old covering slips ofi^, and a new creature 

 makes its appearance. 



Last summer I had the pleasure of showing to a party of 

 friends, assembled round our breakfast table, this most in- 

 teresting sight. Ou examining my breeding cages I saw a 

 fine specimen of the privet hawk in the act of changing to 

 the pupa state. It was removed with great gentleness and 

 care to the table. I say this, for it is a very critical time 

 with the insect, all the parts are exceedingly soft, and the 

 least pressure now would, most likely, produce a crippled 

 insect. After being placed upon the table he commenced 

 making two or three violent spasmodic movements, his skin 

 opened down the back, the fissure extending into the sixth 

 segment — every now and then he gave himself a short 

 twist with the tail, and in half an hour he was free from 

 his covering — his head, thorax, and wings were of a most 

 beautiful silvery green ; his body a pale yellow brown. 

 The whole was covered with a secretion which rapidly dried, 

 and as it did so encased him in a dark brown shell which 

 soon became firm and hard : from the first to the last the 

 operation occupied about two hours. The insect was now 

 in its pupa, but its internal organisation had not yet com- 

 pleted all its changes to adapt itself to its new condition, 

 Mr. Newport has given a series of drawings showing the 

 great alteration that takes place almost from hour to hour. 

 Fig. 2, plate 2, shows the state immediately after the 

 change; fig. 1, thirty-six hours after; fig. 2, thirty days 



