ABERRANT TYPES OF LARVAE. 65 



as to be incapable of being used in walking. The meta- 

 morphosis of these caterpillars has been already adverted 

 to, and its peculiarity forms a part of the inferiority of 

 their station when compared to that of the pre-eminent 

 type : the head of the chrysalis is pointed downwards 

 to the earth, symbolical that all types of evil (C are of 

 the earth earthly ; " in contradistinction to the up- 

 ward direction of those pupse of the last type, which are 

 the symbols of perfection. Upon these grounds do we 

 maintain, that, in all the stages of their existence, the two 

 principal types of the diurnal butterflies are strictly 

 analogous to those of the vertebrate animals : if any 

 other proof was wanting, we need only rest our argu- 

 ment upon this. In quadrupeds and iuliform butter- 

 flies we have the greatest perfection of the feet; whereas 

 in raptorial or scolopendriform butterflies, and in birds, 

 Nature has evidently rendered these organs imperfect, 

 and made their perfection to consist in superior powers 

 of flight. 



(6l.) If we turn to the aberrant types of larvae, or 

 those which have been named the Anopluriforth, the 

 Vermiform, and the Thysanuriform, we shall find their 

 analogies equally strong among the vertebrate animals. 

 The enormous head of the Hesperian caterpillars, and 

 their thick obtuse body, are strikingly conspicuous in 

 the anopluriform quadrupeds, or the whales ( Cetacea) ; 

 in which order, the head is so disproportionably large 

 as frequently to exceed the circumference of the body : 

 the aquatic birds, in like manner, represent both ; and 

 although their bodies do not end so abruptly, yet they 

 have the shortest tails of all the birds in existence. 

 Next let us take the vermiform or onisciform larvae ; 

 how strikingly do the caterpillars of the blue and copper 

 butterflies (Polyommatus Lat.) resemble a little tortoise, 

 with their small pointed head and tail, and their wide 

 depressed body marked by lines resembling plates ! If, 

 again, we compare them to armadillos, the analogy is 

 equally just and capable of demonstration ; for the genus 



