JOO 



INSECTS. 



hundreds ; others, more minute, deftroy them in various ways ; a fpar- 

 row and its mate, that have young, deftroy three thoufand caterpillars in 

 a week. Some of the caterpillar kind, that feem fitted only to eat leaved, 

 will however eat each other ; the ftrongeft devouring the weak, in pre- 

 ference to their vegetable food. That which lives on the oak, feizes its 

 companions, v;hen it can, by the firft rings, and infiidls a deadly wound ; 

 then feafts in tranquillity on its prey. 



Many flies lay their eggs either on or within their bodies ; and as thefe 

 turn into worms, the caterpillar nouriflies a brood of inreftine enemies, 

 that muft fhortly be its deftrudion. " Towards the end of Auguft," fays 

 Reaumur, " I perceived a little fly, of a beautiful gold colour, bufily em- 

 ployed on the body of a large caterpillar, of that kind which feeds upon 

 cabbage. I gently feparated that part of the leaf on which thefe inlefts 

 were placed, from the refl: of the plant, and placed it where I might ob- 

 ferve them more at my eafe. The fly, wholly taken up by the bufinefs in 

 which it was employed, walked along the caterpillar's body, now and 

 then remaining fixed to a particular fpot. Upon this occafion, I per- 

 ceived it every now and then dart a fting, which it carried at the end of 

 its tail, into the caterpillar's body, and then drew it out again, to repeat 

 the fame operation in another place. It was not difficult for me to con- 

 jedure the bufinefs which engaged this animal fo earnefl:ly ; its whole aim 

 was to depofitc its eggs in the caterpillar's body ; which was to ferve as a 

 proper retreat for bringing themi to perfeftion. The reptile, thus rudely 

 treated, feemed to bear all very patiently, only moving a little when ftung 

 too deeply j which, however, the fly feemed entirely to difregard. I took 

 particular care to feed this caterpillar j which feemed to me to continue 

 as voracious and vigorous as any of the reft of its kind. In about ten or 

 twelve days, it changed into an aurelia, which feemed gradually to decline, 

 and died. Upon examining its internal parts, the animal was entirely de- 

 voured by worms ; which, however, did not come to perfedlion, as it is 

 probable they had not enough to fuftain them within." 



The large cabbage caterpillar is fofubjedlto this injury, that, at certain 

 feafons, it is much eafler to find them with than without them. The ich- 

 neumon-fiy particularly infefts thefe reptiles, and is of all others moft for- 

 midable toinfefts of various kinds. The fpider himfclf often falls a prey 

 to the ichneumon, who purfues him to his retreat, defpifcs his nets, aod 

 tears him in pieces, in his own labyrinth. This infcft, redoubtable as 

 the little quadruped that deftroys the crocodile, has received the fame 

 name j it dcpofits its eggs in the caterpillar's body \ ten, fifteen, or twenty. 



As 



