ON KN TOMOLOG Y. I I 



wliite colour; the eggs were not very deep, but just under a little heap 

 of fresh mould, and within the influence of the sun's heat. 



The COCHENILLE INSECTS (Coccuke), so called, from one of the species 

 furnishing the well-known valuable dye stuff, protect their eggs in a 

 very remarkable manner. The mother deposits her eggs under her 

 body, which becomes glued to the spot, she then dies, and her body be- 

 comes a covering for the eggs ; in this state the insects appear on the 

 bark of trees, like small w arts in the form of a boat ; and, before their 

 history was understood, they were with some plausibility supposed 

 to be vegetable galls, whence they were termed Gall Insects by the 

 {''much. Though the mother insect is seldom larger than a peppercorn, 

 the number of eggs which she lays, amounts to several thousands, and 

 iri fact fills the greater portion of her body. 



The Coccus CACTI is the famous cochineal animal, and is a native ot 

 the warm parts of America. The female, which alone is valuable for 

 its colour, is slothful and ill shaped ; the male is scarce, it is small, slen- 

 der and active. At Oaxacain Mexico, the Cochineal insects are gathered 

 in large quantities, and the cultivation of them is the employment of 

 the Indians. In trade there are four sorts of Cochineal, Maitique, 

 Cumpeschane, Tetraschale, and Sylvester. The first is the best, and tin- 

 last the worst; the Cochineal is esteemed in medicine as a cordial, 

 sudorific and febrifuge ; but it is chiefly used by dyers and painters. 



The PRAYING MANTIS is a very curious insect, it is nearly three 

 inches in length, of a slender shape, and in its general sitting posture 

 is observed to hold up the two fore legs, as if in the act of devotion. 

 The monkish legends toll us that St. Francis Zavier, walking one day 

 in a garden, and seeing an insect of the Mantis genus moving along 

 in its solemn way, holding up its two fore legs, as if in the act of devotion, 

 desired it to sing the praises of God. The legend adds, that the saint 

 immediately heard the insect carol a fine canticle with a loud emphasis. 

 This insect is of a predacious disposition, living on smaller insects ; 

 which it watches for with great anxiety ; it is also very pugnacious, and 

 when kept with others of its own species in a state of captivity, they 

 will attack each other with the utmost violence till one is destroyed, 

 and the conqueror devours his antagonist. 



The SPECTRES (Phasmatte) resemble the smaller branches of trees 

 with their spray, and so minutely detailed is this mimicry, that the vary 

 snags and knobs are accurately imitated. 



I shall now proceed to LEPIDOPTERA : The PAPILIO MACIIAON or 

 Swallow Tailed Butterfly, is the most beautiful of the English 

 species, it is black and yellow, with hinder wings tailed ; it is 

 very local, occurring- near Bristol and Beveiioy, and in the Fens of 

 Lincolnshire. The proceedings of the Caterpillar, before it changes 

 into the pupa is very curious ; the insect first attaches the end of his 

 thread to the spot .selected lor hanging up the chrysalis, such a.s the 

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