12 BRITISH BUTTERFLIES. 



CHAPTER II. 



" COMING OUT " ICHNEUMONS THE BUTTERFLY PERFECTED 

 ITS WINGS LEPIDOPTERA MEANING OF THE WORD MICRO- 

 SCOPIC VIEW NEW BEAUTIES MAGNIFIED " DUST " THE HEAD 

 AND ITS ORGANS THE TONGUE THE EYES THE ANTENNAE 

 THEIR USES INSECT CLAIRVOYANCE AN UNKNOWN SENSE 

 FORMS OF ANTENNA THE LEGS. 



WE now arrive at the last stage, the consummation of 

 all this strange series of transformations ; for veritable 

 transformations they are to all intents and purposes ; 

 though some learned naturalists have discovered or 

 imagined so that the butterfly, in all its parts, really 

 lies hid under the caterpillar's skin, and can be distin- 

 guished under microscopical dissection ; and that, there- 

 fore, the so-called transformations are merely the throw- 

 ing off of the various envelopes or husks, as they become 

 in turn superfluous, as a mountebank strips oif garment 

 after garment, till lastly the sparlding harlequin is 

 discovered to view ; or, in more exact language, they 

 consider these changes in the light rather of successive 

 developments and emancipations of the various organs 

 than as their actual transformations. Still, it seems 

 to me, the difference is chiefly one of terms. The 

 real wondrous fact remains undiminished and unex- 

 plained ; that a creeping wormlike creature, in process 

 of time, is changed into a glorious winged being, differ- 

 ing from the former in form, habits, food, and every 

 essential particular, as widely as any two creatures can 

 well differ, as widely as a serpent from a bird, for 

 instance. 



As the imprisoned butterfly approaches maturity, a 

 change is observable in the exterior of the chrysalis, 

 the skin becomes dry and brittle, usually darkens IP 



