HYBERNATION OF CATERPILLARS. 195 



particular facts seldom accord with actual nature, and 

 ought never to be indulged in by naturalists who study 

 accuracy. Another caterpillar, not uncommon in 

 gardens, on the hollyhock and other plants, would at 

 once disprove such an inference: we allude to that of 

 the angle shades (Phlogophora meticulosa, OCHSEN- 

 HEIMER). This caterpillar, which is exceedingly 

 smooth, and is remarkable for changing in its last 

 moult from a clear green to a yellowish brown, we 

 have found during the whole winter in the folds of the 

 fresh leaves of hollyhocks, cabbage-lettuce, savoys, 

 &c, quite lively, and feeding in open weather by no 

 means sparingly. Its defence from cold may perhaps 

 consist in a superabundant supply of fat, which we 

 may infer that it possesses from the soft flabby aspect. 

 It is this circumstance which seems to protect whales 

 from the polar cold; as well as bears during their tor- 

 pidity. 



Some caterpillars seem to have no less power of 

 resisting severe cold than eggs; as authentic instan- 

 ces are recorded of their revival after being frozen 

 stiff, a circumstance also reported of some serpents 

 in North America.* Dr Lister in this way revived 

 caterpillars frozen so hard as to chink like stones when 

 thrown into a glass ;| and Mr Stickney exposed some 

 grubs of a common crane-fly ( Tipula oleracea, LINN.) 

 to a severe frost, till they were congealed into masses 

 of ice, yet several of them survived. J Reaumur, 

 however, was unsuccessful in similar experiments on 

 the gregarious moth of the fir (C'nethocampa Pilyo- 

 campa, STEPHENS), so celebrated among the ancients 

 as a poison;^ for none of them survived a cold of 2 

 below zero/Fahr., by which they were frozen toice.|| 



* John Hunter, Obs. on Anim. F.con. p. 99. 

 t Goedart, Insect, p. 79. | Kirby and Spcnce, Intr. ii, p. 

 453. 

 Plin. Hist. Nat. 38, 9. II Mem. ii. 



