170 PTILOTA. 



the appearance of the creature is completely altered. The 

 insect in this state is termed a chrysalis, or aurelia, and more 

 generally and technically a pupa (plural, pupae). After re- 

 maining in this state a certain period, the insect again throws 

 off its covering, and appears in its perfect form. It is now 

 termed a beetle, butterfly, bee, &c., according to its kmd, 

 but technically and generally the term imago is applied, to 

 designate the adult state of all insects. These terms — larva, 

 pupa, and imago — w'ere employed by Linnaeus, w hose nomen- 

 clature was often fanciful, although generally applicable : the 

 first, in^allusion to the larvated, or masked appearance of the 

 insect whilst a larva ; the second, from the resemblance of 

 the insect, during the pupa state, to the mummy-like appear- 

 ance of children wrapt up in swaddling-clothes; and the 

 third, because, having laid aside its mask, and cast off its 

 swaddhng-clothes, it is now in its perfect state, and has be- 

 come a true representation or image of its species. Hence 

 the four stages of an insect's existence are the egg, larva, 

 pupa, and imago. 



It is true, however, that, in the aphides, blowfly, and a 

 very few other species, the eggs are hatched within the 

 body of the parent fly, and deposited as larvae ; and that, 

 in the Hippohoscidce, the larva even undergoes its change 

 to the pupa state previous to being deposited by the 

 parent; but still these insects have originated from eggs; 

 and it is also true, that in some groups the insect in the 

 pupa state is active, and differs only from the larva in 

 having small tubercular rudiments of wings upon the back 

 (as in the orders Hemiptera and Orthoptera) ; and in the 

 apterous individuals of these orders it is next to impossible 

 to assert whether an individual be in the larva, pupa, 

 or imago state. These are, however, but exceptions to 

 the general rule, and do not warrant the opinion main- 

 tained in an ingenious paper published by Mr. Newman in 



