INSECT TRANSFORMATIONS. 31 



" the elytra, or wing-cases, instead of covering the back, fold 

 over the breast, and their substance, soft, leathery, and whitish, 

 exhibits no traces of the tints (often most splendid) which are 

 to adorn them. If a bee or fly, the whole skin is white and 

 fleshy, quite unlike the coloured hairy crust to which in an 

 hour or two it will turn; and the wings, instead of a thin 

 transparent extended film, are a thick, opaque, wrinkled 

 mass." 



The last emergement of various Dragon-Flies, may, during 

 a great part of summer, be often witnessed, by inspecting the 

 stem of aquatic plants, to which they fix themselves on 

 leaving the water, (where their earlier stages have been passed), 

 and attached to which they are accustomed to leave their 

 pupa skins, after having come out as tenants of the air.* Last 

 summer, whilst awaiting the appearance of the small Tortoise- 

 shell butterflies above mentioned, from several of their chry- 

 salides, we gained an opportunity of observing, not only the 

 coming out of the insects inspected, but that also of others, 

 which in the character of parasites had been surreptitiously 

 introduced. One chrysalis out of five was full of small 

 Ichneumons, while two others contained, each, several of the 

 brown oval pupae of a species of Fly, nearly resembling the 

 common frequenter of our houses. Of these and the like 

 parasitic invaders-r-of their modes of getting in, as well as of 

 coming out, more at a future season. 



* Vignette. 



