The Ergates; the Cossus 



view of the coming moult. The violent 

 gymnastics take place in a large apartment of 

 no special structure, without cement or glaze. 

 The big grub, by rolling its rump to and fro, 

 has simply pushed back all around it the 

 powdery ligneous matter produced by its 

 crumbled or even digested provisions. It 

 has compressed and felted it together; and, 

 as I have taken care to keep the material 

 suitably moist, it sets into a fairly solid and 

 remarkably smooth wall. It is a stucco 

 made of wood-pulp. 



A few days later, in stiflingly hot weather, 

 the grub sheds its skin. The moult is effec- 

 ted at night and I am therefore unable to 

 witness it; but next morning I have the 

 newly-divested clothing at my disposal. The 

 skin has been split open on the thorax up to 

 the first segment, which has released itself, 

 bringing the head with it. Through this nar- 

 row dorsal fissure, the nymph has issued by 

 alternately stretching and contracting, so 

 that the cast skin forms a crumpled bag, 

 which is almost intact. 



On the day of its deliverance, the nymph 

 is a magnificent white, whiter than alabaster, 

 whiter than ivory. Add a slight transpar- 

 ency to the substance of our superfine stearin 

 185 



