LEPIDOPTEEA. 193 



posed showers of blood fell on the outskirts of Aix, in Provence, 

 and this rain extended for the distance of half a league from the 

 town. Some priests of the town deceived themselves, or, desirous 

 of turning to account the credulity of the people, did not hesitate 

 to attribute this event to satanic agency. Fortunately, a learned 

 man, M. de Peiresc, who was not only well versed in the know- 

 ledge of ancient literature, but who was, moreover, familiar with 

 the natural sciences, discovered that a prodigious multitude of 

 butterflies were flying about in the places which were thus mira- 

 culously covered with bipod. He collected some chrysalides and 

 put them into a box, and letting them hatch there, observed the 

 blood-like liquid, and hastened to make it known to the friends 

 of the miraculous. He established the fact that the supposed drops 

 of blood were only found in cavities, in interstices, under the copings 

 of walls, &c., and never on the surface of stones turned upwards ; 

 and proved by these observations that they were drops of a red 

 liquid deposited by the butterflies. 



However, in spite of the reassuring remarks of the learned 

 Peiresc, the people in the outskirts of Aix continued to feel a 

 genuine terror at the sight of these tears of blood which stained 

 the soil. Peiresc attributes to this same cause some other showers 

 of blood related by historians, and which took place about the same 

 season. Such was a shower of rain which was supposed to have 

 fallen in the time of Childebert, at Paris, and in a house in the 

 territory of Senlis. Such again was a so-called bloody shower 

 which showed itself towards the end of June, during the reign of 

 king Robert of France. Reaumur points out the large Tortoise- 

 shell as being the most capable of spreading these sorts of alarms 

 founded on a deplorable ignorance and the spirit of superstition. 



" Thousands," says he, " change into pupae towards the end of 

 May or the beginning of June. Before their transformation they 

 leave the trees, often fastening themselves to walls, and, making 

 their way into country-houses, they suspend themselves to the 

 frames of doors, &c. If the butterflies which come out of them 

 towards the end of June or the beginning of July were all to fly 

 together, there would be enough of them to form little clouds or 

 swarms, and consequently there would be enough to cover the 

 stones in certain localities with spots of a blood- red colour, and to 



