CAT ARIA CATERPILLAR. 



747 



CATARIA. Tho old trivial name, and now the 

 specific name, of the Nepcta, or catmint of Britain. 



CATESETUM (Richard). A curious family of 

 South American epiphytes. Linnaean class and or- 

 der, Gi/namirirt j\Io)iandna ; natural order, Orchidcce. 

 Generic character : flowers ruspinate ; sepals un- 

 equal, conniving, and hollow ; lahelltnn large, inflated, 

 concave, and adhering to the column ; column cylin- 

 drical, concave in front, dilated above ; apex produced 

 to a point ; two filiform processes project downward 

 from the column ; pollen in two masses. 



There are six species of these interesting plants 

 already introduced into English collections, and no 

 doubt many more will in time be found in the same 

 quarter of the world. Their management in our 

 hothouses is as yet but imperfectly understood ; but 

 great advances have been lately made in the culture 

 of Orchidc(c, and no doubt, if suitable houses are 

 built for them, as has already been done by some 

 spirited individuals, their culture will be as well 

 understood as that of any other exotic plant what- 

 ever. 



CATCHFLY. The English name of a numerous 

 family of herbaceous, annual, biennial, and perennial 

 European plants, called Silene by Linnaeus and other 

 botanists. Some of them are highly ornamental, 

 many are pretty, and all of them curious. The 

 strong-growing sorts thrive best in light rich soil, and 

 thev are all easily increased by cuttings or by seeds. 



CATECHU. The specific name of a palm, called 

 Areca by Linnaeus, and by the English cabbage-tree. 

 It also yields the medicine called catechu. 



CATERPILLAR. A plant so culled from the 

 resemblance of its curious-twisted pods to the larva 

 of butterflies. It is the Scorpiurus (scorpion's tail) 

 of botanists, and consists of six species, all natives of 

 the south of Europe. As objects of curiosity, the 

 plants are raised in flower-gardens along with other 

 hardy annuals. The flowers are nothing, but the 

 pods are exceedingly curious. 



CATERPILLAR. The common name by which 

 the lame of lepidopterous insects are known. There 

 is the greatest, possible difference in the appearance 

 of these insects in this stage of their existence, so 

 that it is difficult to lay down any general observa- 

 tions upon them. They are for the most part of an 

 eioji'j-aU'd and cylindric form, and the body is fleshy, 

 often entirely naked, but oftener clothed with hairs, 

 spines, tubercles, or warts ; they are composes! of 

 thirteen rings, of which the first represents the head, 

 the second, third, fourth, the thorax, and the remain- 

 der the abdomen of the perfect moth or butterfly ; 

 over on each side of the body nine breathing 

 spiracles are to be observed. The head is generally 

 of a more scaly nature than the remainder of the 

 body, and is furnished on each side with six minute 

 shining tubercles which appear to be the rudirnental 

 iif the future insect, as well as with two short 

 conical antennae, and a month furnished with a pair 

 of very robust jaws, two fleshy under jaws with their 

 two palpi, and an under lip with its two palpi. The 

 silken matter which is spun by these insects, and 

 ilk worm (which is the caterpillar of 

 Sombyx mori] constitutes one of the most valuable of 

 t productions, is elaborated in several long inter- 

 nal vessels, of which the extremities are narrowed 

 and terminated in a tubular and conical tubercle, 

 situated at the tip of the lower lip, which thus acts 

 as a spinneret for the discharge of the silken threads. 



Caterpillars are also furnished with six short-jointed 

 scaly legs attached in pairs to the second, third, and 

 fourth segments, and representing the legs of the 

 future insect; they moreover possess from four to 

 ten fleshy legs armed at the extremity with a circular 

 series of innumerable little bent hooks ; the hind pair 

 of these false legs, as they have been termed, are 

 placed at the extremity of the body near the anus ; 

 and it is by the assistance of these fleshy legs that 

 the insect in general retains its hold upon the sub- 

 stance upon which it is placed ; thus we find the fore 

 legs of the sphinx caterpillars seldom employed ex- 

 cept in progression, the insect when at rest raising 

 the fore part of its body into a curved position, 

 whence the fanciful name of sphinx was given to this 



Fig. 1, Caterpillar swallow-tailed moth (Curapteriix Sambur.aria). 

 Fig. 2, Caterpillar privet hawk- moth (Sphinx ligustri). 



group of insects. In like manner many of the looper 

 caterpillars when at rest erect themselves into an 

 upright position, or at different angles with the 

 branches, on which they are observed attaching them- 

 selves firmly bv means of the hind pair of false legs 

 alone, closely resembling in this situation small tv. igs, 

 a resemblance greatly increased by the colour and 

 warty appearance of many of these animals. These 

 species have only ten or twelve legs including their 

 six fore legs, and have obtained their name of 

 loopers from the curious manner of their progression, 

 seizing hold of the twig with the fore legs they 

 elevate the intermediate rings of the body until it 

 almost assumes the appearance of a ring by bringing 

 the hind legs almost in contact with the fore ones, so 

 as exactly to resemble the Greek letter n, as repre- 

 sented in the figure of Abraxas grossidariata ; they 

 then leave go with their fore legs, and extend the 

 body in a straight line, retaining at the same time 

 with their hind legs the hold of their advanced posi- 

 tion, so as to enable them again to effect the same 

 manoeuvre. They are enabled to effect these motions 

 as well as to retain their fixed and outstretched posi- 

 tion for a great length of time, by means of the pro- 

 digious muscular power which they possess. In fact, 

 according to Lyonnet, in the caterpillar of the goat- 

 moth (C'uKsiis ligiiipcrda'), there are more than four 

 thousand muscles. 



Thus we nee that the hasty assertion contained in 

 a work which has just been published, that the pos- 

 session of a greater number of eyes than two, and of 

 legs than six, leads us to refer an animal to some 

 other division of animated nature than that of insects, 

 is completely negatived, as well as the following 



