THE BUTTERFLY, 53 



lowest among them the myriapods, as caterpillar 

 or worm-like insects ; in the middle place the 

 spiders, as pupal or crustacean insects ; and high- 

 est of all the true or hexapod insects with their 

 triregional body. 



How far-reaching, then, is the relation between 

 the earlier and the perfected form of insects, and 

 of how much importance it is to study the suc- 

 cessive stages of development of animal life. Do 

 we not here see, too, what indissoluble bonds 

 unite the general features of structure among 

 allied creatures and the historical development of 

 each ? How complicated, comprehensive, divine a 

 plan runs through the organization and relation- 

 ship of animal life ! Unless we can in some meas- 

 ure comprehend and regard that plan, we lose 

 sight of at least one chief end of the prodigality 

 of nature the harmony of divine and human 

 thought. 



Let us pass now to the consideration of the 

 changes which the different parts and organs of 

 the insects we are discussing have undergone. 

 We shall compare these directly with the corre- 

 sponding parts of the caterpillar, because, in treat- 

 ing of the structure of the chrysalis, at least so 

 far as the appendages are concerned, we have 

 really described the appearance, not of the ap- 

 pendages themselves, but of the sheaths in which 

 they were inclosed. In reality the difference be- 



