184 PICTURING MIRACLES 



started, only larger, with slight rings around it. If 

 they are disturbed at this period their head comes 

 out to normal size and they have to go through this 

 sleeping act again. In four or five hours they turn 

 brown. No other visible change is seen for a week 

 or nine days. Under the microscope, with back light- 

 ing, the embryo fly can be watched gradually form- 

 ing. His legs, body and eyes can be plainly seen. 



On the morning of the ninth day, they are due to 

 emerge. I found I could get everything ready for the 

 picture; turn on the lights and the extra warmth 

 would at once start action. There is no preliminary 

 signal, the cap suddenly snaps off or opens hinge- 

 like and the most exciting action, especially under 

 low power magnification, begins. At first what looks 

 like a white balloon expands and contracts very rap- 

 idly. It was this expansion that broke off the cap. 

 This continues helping pull the fly out of its shell- 

 like chrysalis. As the baby fly gets half out, the bal- 

 loon-like sack stops its expanding, contracting move- 

 ments and is gradually absorbed into the head, seem- 

 ingly forming part of it. The eyes seem enormous in 

 comparison with the parts already visible. Suddenly 

 the entire fly comes out, and often on his back, the 

 shell house above it. There it lies and, like an acro- 

 bat, whirls its former home round and round, trying 

 to get rid of it. Even with so unpleasant a creature as 



