84 INSECT TRANSFORMATIONS. 



no mandibles or jaws,* like bees, wasps, and beetles, 

 for performing any mechanical labour; but the moths 

 in question have an organ admirably contrived for 

 covering their eggs with down. This consists of an 

 extensile instrument, situated in the tail, not unlike 

 the points of a pair of sugar-tongs, and intended to 

 perform the part of tweezers in pulling off the down, 

 and placing it upon the eggs. Having reared nume- 

 rous broods of the moths alluded to, we can testify 

 to the minute accuracy of Reaumur in detailing 

 their proceedings. He remarks, that though the 

 mother moth is exceedingly sluggish (lourde) in her 

 general movements, she employs her tweezers with 

 surprising quickness, on all sides, first to pull off a 

 pinch of down, and spread it out, and then to place the 

 egg upon it, and cover it neatly over, and smooth the 

 down in the proper direction. The nature of the in- 

 strument will be better understood by the following 

 figures. 



Tweezers of the brown and gold-tailed moths, magnified. 



Reaumur has figured the deposition of the eggs 

 of an insect, the species of which is not ascertained, 

 sent him by a physician of Lucon, which are covered, 

 like the preceding, with down, but are arranged in an 

 elegant spiral form, as if a lady would wind one of 

 the ends of her fur tippet spirally round a branch, 



* Savigny, however, has displayed much acumen in showing 

 how the suckers of moths, &c, are analogous to mandibles. 

 Memoir es sur les Jlnim. sans Verteb. 



