Hkitisii Hloodscckkks 245 



case (which opens by a slit), raises herself feebly 

 and awkwardly on her spindle shanks, and with- 

 draws her tail from its swathing bandaj^e. Siie 

 has j^rown meanwhile into a verv different creature 

 from the aipiatic larva: observe her lon^ plumed 

 antenn.L', her curious mouth-orj^ans, iier six hairy 

 lej^s, and her delicate ifau/e-like win^s, all of them 

 wholly distinct from hei formei" self, and utterly 

 unrepresented bv anvthin^ in the swimming in- 

 sect. It is a marvellous transformation this, fiom 

 a darting aquatic with rudder and tail, to a tlyinj^ 

 terrestrial and aerial animal, with le<^s and win<^s 

 and manifold adapted appendas^es. At fust, one 

 would sav, the new-tled^ed mo^tpiito can haidly 

 know lierself. 



In nature, however, nothing is ever wasted. 

 The pupa-case, vou would suppose, is now quite 

 useless. Not a bit of it. Our ladv utilises it at once 

 as a boat to float upon. She plants her lonj^ lej^s 

 upon it j^inj^erlv, a.s vou see in Xo. S, where you 

 can still make out the shape of the tail and the horn- 

 like bieathiuL^-tubes of the pupa, 'i'hus does she 

 lise on steppinj^-stones of hei" dead self to hi^hei" 

 things, in a more literal sense than the poet con- 

 templated. Vou observe her above, in her natuial 

 size, and below uuicli maL^niiied. Notice her beau- 

 tiful L^auzy win^^, marked with hairy veins, her 

 prettv plume-like anteim;e, her spider-like jointed 

 le^s, and her hump of a body. She stands now, 

 irresolute, meditating flij^ht and wondering whether 

 she dare unfold her li.^ht pinions to the breeze. 

 Soon, conlidence and >treni4th will conic to her ; 



