BURNET-MOTH. 17 



these little appendages by hundreds, or even by thou- 

 sands. The cocoon is a pretty object ; it is of a 

 spindle shape, that is, swollen in the middle, and 

 pointed at each end. It is formed of silk compacted 

 into a papery substance, bright yellow and glistening, 

 and is attached to .the grass perpendicularly all along 

 one side. Some of them which I opened displayed 

 the caterpillar as yet unmetamorphosed, an inert 

 little creature of a pale yellow, studded with rows of 

 close-set black spots. Others contained the black 

 shining chrysalis, in which I detected a curious habit. 

 I had collected a dozen or two stalks with cocoons, 

 and had brought them into my bedroom. At night, 

 while sitting reading, I perceived some faint creaking 

 sounds proceeding from them, and by bringing each 

 in succession close to my ear, I was enabled to find 

 out the individuals from which the noise issued. 

 Then holding the cocoon between the eye and the 

 light, its semi-transparency permitted me to see the 

 enclosed pupa busily engaged in revolving on its long 

 axis, and the sound was caused by the grating of its 

 rings against the papery walls of its prison. 



We found multitudes of the moths sitting on the 

 herbage, or flitting hither and thither on feeble wing. 

 Many were drying their half-expanded wings in the 

 morning sun ; some were pushing their way out of the 

 upper extremity of the brittle cocoon, previously to 

 bursting the chrysalis skin ; and others were emerging 

 from the projected pupa, so wet and shrivelled, that 

 it seemed marvellous that those crumpled and dis- 



