INTRODUCTION. 21 
the ovipositor, which is destined to make holes for the reception 
of the eggs. Bya wonderful instinct the mother always lays her 
eggs in a place where her young, on being hatched, can find an 
abundance of nutritious substances. It will not be needless to 
observe that in most cases these aliments are quite different to 
those which the mother seeks for herself. 
In the second stage, that is to say, on leaving the egg,—the 

Fig. 15.—Nervous system of Carabus auratus 
larva period,—the insect presents itself in a soft state, without 
wings, and resembles a worm. In ordinary language, it is 
