542 BIOLOGY. 



liberated from the Papilionaceous tree. The tales or 

 stories, about leaves changing in the torrid zones into 

 Insects, are not without meaning; for poetry is none 

 other than the Ideal of natural history. 



Metamorphosis. 



3291. We now proceed to retrace our steps. The 

 Insect is a Tegumental animal represented in limbs. 

 There can be therefore present in the Insect no other 

 development than in the Cutaneous animal, which works 

 itself up into the Branchial and Trachea! animal. 



The Insect passes through three stages prior to its at- 

 taining the adult or perfect condition. It is at first 

 Worm, next Crab, then a perfect, volant animal with 

 limbs, a Fly. 



3292. The representative passage of the Insect through 

 the preceding classes in the course of development, con- 

 stitutes its metamorphosis. Thus the Insect's metamor- 

 phosis obtains a meaning and an explanation. Upon the 

 whole, the history of every kind of pregnancy is none 

 other than the passage which takes place through all the 

 animal classes, as I have first represented in my book 

 upon "Generation" (Von der Zeugung, 1805); but in 

 no class of animals are the periods so dissevered or 

 drawn apart as in Insects. It therefore comes to pass 

 that these animals are the equivalent transcripts or 

 copies of a system common to them and the preceding 

 animals. 



3293. The Worm is the first condition of the Insect. 

 It is represented, by the larva, which, according to its di- 

 versity of size, is called maggot, caterpillar, grub, &c. 



3294. The larva is only a Cutaneous and Intestinal 

 animal. It knows of nothing else but eating like the 

 Worm ; it has no sexual function, no lust, nor pain ; it 

 can scarcely move ; in many the feet are wanting, as in 

 the larvae of Flies, which thus resemble the Entozoa ; 

 many have a crop of lateral papillae, like the caterpillars, 

 which resemble the Nereids. 



3295. The change into a nymph a, chrysalis, or pupa, 



