OBSERVATIONS ON INSECTS. 



315 



Perhaps some eggs mio-ht be injected into the body of the 

 spider, in the act of stinging. Some ichneumons deposit their 

 eggs in the aurelia of moths and butterflies.* 



This singular animal is of a rich orange colour ; and lias frequently 

 caused great alarm amongst the ignorant and superstitious, from the 

 preying attitude which it assumes. The habitations of some moths 

 display great ingenuity : and in the preparation of these, the animals 

 manifest much intuitive foresight. The goat moth (cossus ligniperda) 

 excavates for itself a hollow in a tree, fit for its reception. The following 

 is a figure of a winter nest of one of these, formed of a fabric, consisting 

 of the raspings of a tree, united with strong silk : 



Many of the insect tribe are subject to great diversity of shape in the 

 male and female ; and in some instances are so unlike, that they might 

 well pass for distinct species. We offer the following as not much 

 diversified examples of this : 



1. Female vapourer moth. 2. The male ditto r En. 



* In my Naturalist's Calendar for 1795, July 21st, 1 find the follow- 

 ing note : 



the chrysalis ot a butterfly into a box, and covered it with gauze, to 

 discover what species of butterfly they would produce ; but instead of a 

 butterfly, one of them produced a number of small ichneumon flies. 



There are many instances of the great service these little insects are of 

 to mankind in reducing the number of noxious insects, by depositing their 

 eggs in the soft bodies of their larvce ; but none more remarkable than 

 that of the ichneumon tipula, \vhich pierces the tender body, and deposits 



