Ctt. II.] METAMORPHOSES OF INSECTS. 37 



Swammerdam, in his dissection of the chrysalis of 

 a butterfly, discovered that the bladder, stomach, 

 and some part of the gullet were filled with a deep 

 purple moist substance, which, when laid upon pa- 

 per, looked like real blood. When the butterfly has 

 acquired its perfect form, it discharges this matter 

 in the form of several large drops of a bloody-look- 

 ing fluid, which has at diiferent times become the 

 object of superstitious terror, inasmuch as when the 

 number of butterflies produced has been considera- 

 ble, as when several broods have arrived at the 

 winged state at the same time, the appearance of 

 bloody showers has been produced. Thus, Hollin- 

 shed relates, that in the fifth century, " at Yorke, it 

 rained bloud," and in 697, " corne, as it was gath- 

 ered in the harveste-time, appeared bloudie ;" and, 

 " in the furthermost partes of Scotland, it rayned 

 bloud. 1 ' From Batman's " Doome," we find that in 

 1553 it was deemed among the forewarnings of the 

 deaths of Charles and Philip, Dukes of Brunswick, 

 that " there were drops of bloude upon herbs and 

 trees ;" but the most interesting account which has 

 been published of an occurrence of this kind, is that 

 related in the " Life of Peiresc," which, on account 

 of its quaintness, we have preferred extracting en- 

 tire from Gassendi's life, rather than copy Reau- 

 mur's version of it, as has been done by various 

 writers. 



" Nothing in the whole year 1608 did more please 

 him than that he observed and philosophized about 

 the bloody rain, which was commonly reported to 

 have fallen about the beginning of July; great drops 

 thereof were plainly to be seen both in the city it- 

 self, upon the walls of the great church, which is 

 near the city wall, and upon the city walls them- 

 selves ; also upon the walls of villages, hamlets, and 

 towns for some miles round about ; for in the first 

 place he went himself to see those wherewith the 

 stones were coloured, and did what he could to 



VOL. II. D 



