A Liliputian Co7nbat. 159 



A LILIPUTIAN COMBAT. 



That the passions of hostility and anger are not con- 

 fined to large animals, but felt with equal intensity by 

 the smallest, I had this day (May 10th) evidence, and of 

 a somewhat curious kind. The day being remarkably 

 fine and warm indeed, hot for the month of May I 

 had my v wolf-skin robe carried out and spread under a 

 tree to recline upon. Lying along it, and listening to 

 the songs of birds now so varied observing also the 

 movements of many species of insects, which the hot sun 

 had stirred into activity, my attention was attracted to 

 one of the latter, in a larval state, by its odd movements. 

 It was making way over the smooth surface of a velvet- 

 covered cushion, but for which it is not likely I should 

 have noticed it ; the creature at full stretch being little 

 over the fifth of an inch in length, and not the eighth in 

 thickness. It was white too, or cream-coloured, the 

 velvet being dark blue, so rendering it conspicuous by 

 the contrast. Its close proximity to my eye, and curious 

 mode of progression, led me to taking special notice of it; 

 the latter being made by repeated contractions and exten- 

 sions of the body, at each the creature rising and stand- 

 ing erect on one end, then pitching forward to its full 

 length, and with a jerk drawing the tail instantly after. 

 The same singular procedure I had often observed in 

 larvce of a larger kind, as no doubt has every one else. 

 But though odd enough in these, it seemed still more so 

 in the little midget certainly not bigger than a cheese- 

 mite that was journeying across the cushion. I was 

 about taking my eye off it, when I saw coming in the 

 opposite direction another insect, of about the same size, 

 but perfect, not larval. A wingless crawler this was, but 



