THE CATERPILLAR. 297 



their glutinous filk make a kind of pafte, in which they enwrap them* 

 felves. Many are the forms they aflume in this helplefs ftate ; aad 

 often the moft deformed butterflies iflue from the moft beautiful aure- 

 lias. Some continue in this ftate ten days, fome a month, fome a year. 

 The fame fpecies of infect does not at all times aflume the fame hue as 

 an aurelia. In fome the beautiful gold colour is found ; in others it is 

 wanting. It is formed by a beautiful tranfparent brown varnifli, laid on 

 a white ground ; the white gleaming through. In this fl:ate, the life of 

 the inftd may be retarded or quickened, without injury : the firfl:, by 

 preventing the evaporation of its humidity; but, by evaporating its 

 moifture, in a warm fituation, the animal aflfumes its winged fl:ate before 

 its ufual time. 



If Ihut up within a cone, the butterfly always gets rid of the natural 

 internal fkin of the chryfalis before it eats its way through the cone. 

 To attain this, there feems a violent agitation in the humours of the 

 body. Its fluids feem driven rapidly through the veflels; it labours 

 violently with its legs, and ftruggles to get free. .Thcfe motions con- 

 curring with the growth of the wings and body, the brittle ik'in which 

 covers it at length gives way, by burfl:ing in four diilinft and regular 

 pieces. The Ikin of the head and legs firfl: j then the fkin at the back 

 difengages the back and wings. The butterfly, as if fatigued, remains 

 quiet for fome time, its wings pointed downward, its legs fixed in the 

 Ikin it had jufl:'thrown off*. Its wings take up fuch little room, one 

 would wonder where they were hidden : but foon after they expand fo 

 rapidly, the eye can fcarce attend their unfolding j they become five 

 tunes larger than before, growing thinner as they become broader ; all 

 the fpors and paintings, before fcarce difcernible, are proportionably 

 extended ; fo that what fcremed only confufed, unmeaning points, now- 

 become diftinfl: and beautiful ornaments. The wings, fo fuddenly ex- 

 tended, appear like wet paper, foft, and wrinkled. In half an hour 

 ihey dry, and their wrinkles difappear. The butterfly difcharges three 

 or four drops of a blood-coloured liquid, as the laft: remains of its fu- 

 perfluous moifliure. The exit of aurelias inclofed within a cone, is 

 more difficult, as they have the cone to break through: but this they 

 quickly perform by butts with the head violently againfl: it, and probably 

 with their eyes, that are rough and like a file, rubbing the internal fur- 

 face away. 



The butterfly needs no other food than the dews of Heaven, and 



the 



