THE CATERPILLAR. 



49 J 



stalks to reach their food at a distance. All 

 of this class have from eight feet, at the least, 

 to sixteen ; and this may serve to distinguish 

 them from the worm-tribe, that never have so 

 many. The animal into which they are con- 

 verted is always a butterfly or moth ; and these 

 are always distinguished from other flies, by 

 having their wings covered over with a paint- 

 ed dust, which gives them such various beauty. 

 The wings of flies are transparent, as we see 

 in the common flesh-fly ; while those of beetles 

 are hard, like horn: from such, the wing of a 

 butterfly may be easily distinguished; and 

 words would obscure their differences. 



From hence it appears, that caterpillars, 

 whether in the reptile state, or advanced to 

 their last state of perfection into butterflies, 

 may easily be distinguished from all other in- 

 sects; being animals peculiarly formed, and 

 also of a peculiar nature. The transmutations 

 they undergo are also more numerous than 

 those of any insect hitherto mentioned ; and, 

 in consequence, they have been placed in the 

 third order of changes bv Swaminerdam, who 

 has thrown such lights upon this part of natu- 

 ral history. In the second order of changes, 

 mentioned before, we saw the grasshopper and 

 the earwig, when excluded from the egg, assume 

 a form very like that which they were after 

 to preserve ; and seemed arrived at a state of 

 perfection , in all respects, except in not having 

 wings ; which did not bud forth until they 

 were come to maturity. But the insects of this 

 third order, that we are now about to describe, go 

 through a much greater variety of transforma- 

 tions; for when they are excluded from the egg, 

 they assume the form of a small caterpillar, which 

 feeds and grows larger every day, often chang- 

 ing its skin, but still preserving its form. 

 When the animal has come to a certain mag- 

 nitude in this state it discontinues eating, 

 makes itself a covering or husk, in which it 

 remains wrapped up, seemingly without life or 

 motion ; and after having, for some time, con- 

 tinued in this state, it once more bursts its 

 confinement, and comes forth a beautiful but- 

 terfly. Thus we see this animal put on no 

 less than three different appearances from the 

 time it is first excluded from the egg. It ap- 

 pears a crawling caterpillar ; then an insensi- 

 ble aurelia, as it is called, without, life or mo- 

 tion ; and, lastly, a butterfly, variously paint- 

 ed, according to its different kind. Having 

 thus distinguished tlr.s class of insects from all 

 others, we will first survey their history in 

 general ; and then enter particularly into the 

 manners and nature of a few of them, which 

 most deserve our curiosity and attention. 





CHAP. II. 



OF THE TRANSFORMATION OF THE CATER- 

 PILLAR INTO ITS CORRESPONDING 

 BUTTERFLY OR MOTH. 



WHEN winter has disrobed the trees of their 

 leaves, nature then seems to have lost her in- 

 sects. There are thousands of different kinds, 

 with and without wings, which, though swarm- 

 ing at other seasons, then entirely disappear. 

 Our fields are re-peopled, when the leaves be- 

 gin to bud, by the genial influence of spring; 

 and caterpillars, of various sorts, are seen feed- 

 ing upon the promise of the year, even before 

 ;he leaves are completely unfolded. Those 

 aterpillars, which we then see, may serve to 

 jive us a view of the general means, which 

 nature employs to preserve such a number of 

 insects during that season, when they can no 

 longer find subsistence. It is known, by 

 united experience, that all these animals are 

 hatched from the eggs of butterflies ; and those 

 who observe them more closely, will find the 

 fly very careful in depositing its eggs, in those 

 places, where they are likely to be hatched, 

 with the greatest safety and success. During 

 winter, therefore, the greatest number of cater- 

 pillars are in an egg-state ; and in this lifeless 

 situation brave all the rigours and the humid- 

 ity of the climate ; and though often exposed 

 to all its changes, still preserve the latent 

 principles of life, which is more fully exerted 

 at the approach of spring. That same power 

 that pushes forth the budding leaf and the 

 opening flower, impels the insect into anima- 

 tion ; and nature at once seems to furnish the 

 guest and the banquet. When the insect has 

 found force to break its shell, it always finds 

 its favourite aliment provided in abundance be- 

 fore it. 



But all caterpillars are not sent off from the 

 egg in the beginning of spring ; for many of 

 them have subsisted during the winter in 

 their aurelia state ; in which as, we have 

 briefly observed above, the animal is seem- 

 ingly deprived of life and motion. In this 

 state of insensibility, many of these insects 

 continue during the rigours of winter ; some 

 inclosed in a kind of shell, which they have 

 spun for themselves at the end of autumn ; 

 some concealed under the bark of trees ; others 

 in the chinks of old walls ; and many buried 

 under ground. From all these, a variety of 

 butterflies are seen to issue in the beginning of 

 spring ; and adorn the earliest part of the year 

 with their painted flutterings. 



Some caterpillars do not make any change 

 whatsoever at the approach of winter; but 

 continue to live in their reptile state through 

 all the severity of the season. They choose 



