﻿118 
  Mr. 
  W.Varney 
  on 
  the 
  

  

  bite 
  a 
  hole 
  through 
  their 
  cocoons, 
  and 
  come 
  out 
  and 
  feed 
  ; 
  then 
  they 
  

   return 
  back 
  to 
  their 
  cells, 
  and 
  put 
  out 
  their 
  excrement 
  ; 
  then 
  they 
  

   close 
  up 
  the 
  hole, 
  which 
  makes 
  it 
  complete. 
  They 
  do 
  not 
  travel 
  

   more 
  than 
  four 
  or 
  five 
  inches, 
  or 
  at 
  most 
  a 
  foot, 
  from 
  the 
  cell, 
  as 
  

   they 
  find 
  food 
  close 
  at 
  hand. 
  They 
  generally 
  return 
  to 
  the 
  cell 
  

   which 
  they 
  had 
  occupied 
  before; 
  but 
  when 
  several 
  of 
  them 
  are 
  

   feeding 
  near 
  together, 
  they 
  sometimes 
  go 
  into 
  the 
  wrong 
  ones 
  ; 
  

   and 
  some 
  of 
  them 
  cannot 
  find 
  their 
  own 
  cells, 
  and 
  are 
  obliged 
  to 
  

   wander 
  about 
  till 
  they 
  can 
  find 
  a 
  place 
  to 
  build 
  a 
  new 
  one. 
  They 
  

   feed 
  in 
  the 
  morning, 
  and 
  return 
  to 
  their 
  cells 
  about 
  nine 
  or 
  ten 
  

   o'clock, 
  which 
  I 
  have 
  witnessed 
  many 
  times. 
  This 
  morning, 
  

   Thursday, 
  5th 
  February, 
  1852, 
  I 
  saw 
  a 
  great 
  many 
  of 
  them 
  

   feeding 
  upon 
  a 
  brick 
  wall 
  ; 
  and 
  I 
  saw 
  three 
  of 
  them 
  go 
  back 
  to 
  

   their 
  own 
  cells 
  and 
  eject 
  their 
  excrement 
  ; 
  then 
  they 
  closed 
  up 
  the 
  

   entrance 
  as 
  neat 
  as 
  though 
  it 
  had 
  never 
  been 
  opened. 
  In 
  cold 
  

   weather 
  they 
  remain 
  in 
  their 
  cocoons 
  three 
  or 
  four 
  days 
  ; 
  and 
  in 
  

   very 
  sharp 
  weather, 
  as 
  many 
  as 
  nine 
  or 
  ten 
  days, 
  or 
  even 
  more, 
  

   without 
  food 
  ; 
  but 
  as 
  soon 
  as 
  the 
  weather 
  becomes 
  mild, 
  they 
  

   feel 
  the 
  change, 
  and 
  break 
  through 
  the 
  cell, 
  and 
  feed 
  as 
  fresh 
  as 
  

   ever. 
  I 
  put 
  one 
  in 
  the 
  wall, 
  in 
  a 
  small 
  cavity, 
  and 
  put 
  a 
  piece 
  of 
  

   glass 
  over 
  it 
  to 
  see 
  how 
  it 
  would 
  begin 
  its 
  cell; 
  and 
  I 
  saw 
  it 
  carry 
  

   several 
  threads 
  over 
  tlie 
  hole. 
  It 
  then 
  bit 
  off 
  several 
  bits 
  of 
  moss, 
  

   and 
  pushed 
  them 
  between 
  the 
  threads, 
  until 
  it 
  became 
  quite 
  thick, 
  

   and 
  I 
  could 
  not 
  see 
  it 
  any 
  longer, 
  as 
  the 
  caterpillar 
  was 
  inside 
  the 
  

   cell. 
  The 
  cells 
  are 
  quite 
  smooth 
  inside. 
  These 
  larvae 
  are 
  about 
  

   half 
  or 
  three-quarters 
  of 
  an 
  inch 
  long 
  when 
  they 
  are 
  full-grown, 
  

   and 
  are 
  marked 
  with 
  blue 
  and 
  yellow 
  stripes 
  across 
  the 
  body. 
  

   They 
  change 
  to 
  a 
  pupa, 
  from 
  which 
  the 
  fly 
  makes 
  its 
  escape 
  in 
  

   about 
  three 
  weeks, 
  in 
  May. 
  The 
  eggs 
  of 
  these 
  flies 
  are 
  a 
  long 
  

   while 
  before 
  they 
  produce 
  caterpillars, 
  as 
  the 
  latter 
  do 
  not 
  appear 
  

   before 
  the 
  latter 
  end 
  of 
  November, 
  or 
  tlie 
  beginning 
  of 
  December, 
  

   vvlien 
  the 
  weather 
  is 
  damp 
  and 
  cold 
  ; 
  and 
  although 
  they 
  are 
  very 
  

   small, 
  they 
  seek 
  for 
  a 
  small 
  cavity, 
  in 
  wliicli 
  they 
  construct 
  them- 
  

   selves 
  a 
  nest. 
  They 
  are 
  provided 
  each 
  with 
  sixteen 
  legs 
  ; 
  some 
  

   are 
  of 
  deeper 
  blue 
  than 
  others, 
  and 
  most 
  of 
  them 
  are 
  marked 
  

   with 
  blue 
  on 
  each 
  side, 
  a 
  yellow 
  line 
  along 
  the 
  back, 
  and 
  a 
  few 
  

   small 
  brown 
  spots. 
  

  

  Blo7v 
  Flies. 
  — 
  Speaking 
  of 
  the 
  species 
  of 
  blow-flies 
  which 
  pro- 
  

   duce 
  lively 
  larvffi 
  instead 
  of 
  eggs, 
  Reaumur 
  observed, 
  that 
  " 
  there 
  

   is 
  no 
  danger 
  of 
  tlie 
  maggots 
  being 
  destroyed 
  in 
  the 
  midst 
  of 
  the 
  

   putrifying 
  mass, 
  which 
  might 
  have 
  been 
  the 
  case 
  had 
  eggs 
  been 
  

   placed 
  there." 
  When 
  these 
  flies 
  find 
  a 
  piece 
  of 
  meat, 
  or 
  a 
  dead 
  

   carcase, 
  they 
  search 
  about 
  and 
  find 
  an 
  opening, 
  in 
  which 
  they 
  

  

  