126 



SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



for three or four days (see fig. i). During that 

 period the only \isible sign of the approaching 

 transformation is that the surface of the first 

 segment, immediately behind the head, assumes a 

 light creamy colour, which gradually spreads down 

 the sides until, suddenly, the skin bursts along the 

 back for nearly one-half the length of the animal, 

 and springing back allows the head portion of the 

 chrysalis to appear, as shown in fig. 2. 



It will be observed that at this stage the skin 

 is much distended where the true legs are 

 placed, and the hinder part is very relaxed, being 

 altogether opposite to the appearance in fig. 1. 

 The creature now shows marked signs of its vitality 



The colour of the newly formed pupa is at first 

 of a light greenish hue, but that soon changes to a 

 brownish grey tone which varies considerably in 

 iduals. Some are of a dark and rather dingy 

 colour, whilst others are much lighter and iri- 

 descent with specks of gold. In fact the word 

 chrysalis denotes " the gold-coloured sheath of 

 butterflies," whilst larva means " a mask — a 

 mask hiding the future beaut}- of the animal. 



At a later period I was also fortunate to witness 

 some of the perfect insects emerging from their 

 covering, but the process is such a very- rapid one 

 that it was not possible to make a sketch. The 

 chrysalis bursts open at the part denoted by a in 



Fig. 1 



FiG.l. 



FiG.3. 



Fig. 



Stages :: .;.-- sformatiok from Larva tc Pupa ; :- Vanessa 



by curving itself about, thereby causing the skin 

 to work still further along to the point of its 

 attachment until it is at last gathered together, 

 appearing like a bunch of bristles, as may be seen 

 at fig. 3. 



Now comes what, to my mind, is the most 

 " ■• :r".ierful feature of the process ; the reader will 

 see that the old coat of the caterpillar is still 

 attached to the tuft of web, and the chrysalis has 

 as yet no independent attachment but retains in 

 some way a hold on the inside of the skin. 



Although now encased in a horny sheath, possess- 

 ing, so far as one knows, no sense of vision, and 

 being, one would think, also without the sense of 

 feeling, the creature yet seems to have the know- 

 ledge, or intuition — for knowledge it cannot have, 

 never having been previously situated as it now is— 

 that it, in its turn, must obtain a hold on the web, 

 and it does so in the following manner. First of all 

 it works the pointed tip of the sheath out from 

 underneath the old garment (fig. 4), and then it 

 commences a series of most violent acrobatic 

 contortions, twisting and bending itself in every 

 direction in its efforts to reach the tip back far 

 enough to enable it to hook in the web. After 

 many efforts it at length succeeds in accomplishing 

 this, and then, having cast aside for ever its old 

 skin, it hangs suspended as a fully-developed 

 chrvsalis 



fig. 4, and the insect having freed its legs, with 

 which it grasps the nearest surface, just simply 

 walks out as if it were an every-day action. It 

 hangs back downwards until the wings, which 

 on its emergence are in a damp, crumpled condition, 

 have expanded and dried. Then the perfected and 

 beautiful creature floats away in the sunlight to 

 join its brethren in their dalliance with the flowers 

 of the earth, whilst they may be termed flowers of 

 the air, of whom one of our poets has sung : 



'•The plumed insects swift and ::- 

 Like golden boats on a sonny sea, 



Li. irr. ■"■::'."". '.:;;.: _r i : i '."-' :.'.. ;as = 

 Over the gleam of the living gia 3 5 

 Maidstoi . - u xzth, 1S94- 



A Cruel Plant. — Mr. Arthur Harvey, of 

 Toronto, has recently given in "Proceedings of 

 the Canadian Institute ' ' a description of Physianthus 

 albens, a member of the family Asclepiadae. The 

 flowers of the various species of the family, of 

 which there exist about 600, are, by their beautiful 

 colours and markings, rendered extremely attractive 

 to certain moths. There are ranged in pairs wit hin 

 the lips of the corollas about ten knife-shaped 

 organs which secrete a most tenacious gum. Im- 

 mediately upon insects attempting to extract the 

 sweets, the proboscis becomes entwined, they are 

 made captive, and die a lingering death from 

 starvation in sight of plenty. The captive insects 

 f: n:: as in the :a=e= :: the 5ur-f.ev.-5 :■-.: '■ tr.u- 

 fiv-trars. auuear :; affzrf their virrirr.iser; r.;urisu- 

 -.:": : :' ar.v :r5:r:r:::r. 



