284 Mr. Skene on the Emigration of Caterpillars. 
inthe mode of preserving vegetable productions. The 
ers and eis wishes of their friends, and of every friend to 
science, will accompany these able and intrepid investigators. 
ome idea may now be formed of the extent and value o 
the collections which will be obtained, and we are confident 
botanist the credit of his respective discoveries. We think 
then, that these should be destined for the foundation of a 
Flora of the British Possessions in North America ; whic 
if no individual more competent to the ees ‘presents himself, 
the sigan of the present article will not shrink from under- 
taking ; and this he offers to do the more readily, since some 
of the nest “sae aid has already, and unsolicited, been 
eS 
ENTOMOLOGY. 
Arr. [X.—On the Emigration of a Colony af Cater 
—lars,* observed in Provence. From the MS. Tour of 
Tames Sxenez, Esq. of Rubieslaw.+ : 
Iy scrambling over one of me arid coteaux above Tolonai, 
the beautiful summer residence of our worthy old friend, 
Marshal Comté Gallifet, I was a abetted by the mane@uvres 
ofa troop of emigrating insects, which amused me very much. 
It is very easy to attribute the singular economy in the ac- 
tions of the insect world to the mere influence of instinct, as 
the governing principle of every living thing below the scale 
of reason ; but we must either extend the meaning of that 
word beyond the mere actions of an involuntary impulse, or 
find it fall short of explaining much of what may be observed 
in the operations even of that lowest tribe of creatures. We 
readily lavish our admiration on the wonderful arrangements 
of some tribes, whose operations may be more particularly 
to our scrutiny, but this may arise fully more from 
our deficie:.c cy of observation or opportunity, than from the 
* This is probably the Phalena. processionea of Linnz 
+ From Dr. Brewster’s Edinburgh Journal of Science, No. IIE. p. 93. 
< Lennar tea 
