LEPIDOPTERA. 193 
posed showers of blood fell on the outskirts of Aix, in Provence, 
and this rain extended for the distance of half a league from the 
town. Some priests of the town deceived themselves, or, desirous 
of turning to account the credulity of the people, did not hesitate 
to attribute this event to satanic agency. Fortunately, a learned 
man, M. de Peiresc, who was not only well-versed in the know- 
ledge of ancient literature, but who was, moreover, familiar with 
the natural sciences, discovered that a prodigious multitude of 
butterflies were flying about in the places which were thus mira- 
culously covered with blood. THe collected some chrysalides and 
put them into a box, and letting them hatch there, observed the 
blood-like liquid, and hastened to make it known to the friends 
of the miraculous. He established the fact that the supposed 
drops of blood were only found in cavities, in interstices, under the 
copings of walls, &c., and never on the surface of stones turned 
upwards; and proved by these observations that they were drops 
of a red liquid deposited by the butterflies. 
However, in spite of the reassuring remarks of the learned 
Peirese, the people in the outskirts of Aix continued to feel a 
genuine terror at the sight of these tears of blood which stained 
the soil. Peiresc attributes to this same cause some other showers 
of blood related by historians, and which took place about the 
same season. Such was a shower which was supposed to have 
fallen in the time of Childebert, at Paris, and in a house in the 
territory of Senlis. Such again was a so-called bloody shower 
which showed itself towards the end of June, during the reign of 
King Robert of France. Réaumur points out the large Tortoise- 
shell as being the most capable of spreading these sorts of alarms, 
founded on a deplorable ignorance and the spirit of superstition. 
“Thousands,”’ says he, “change into pupze towards the end of 
May or the beginning of June. Before their transformation they 
leave the trees, often fastening themselves to walls, and, making 
their way into country-houses, they suspend themselves to the 
frames of doors, &c. If the butterflies which come out of them 
towards the end of June or the beginning of July were all to fly 
together, there would be enougk of them to form little clouds or 
swarms, and consequently there would be enough to cover the 
stones in certain localities with spots of a blood-red colour, and to 
Oo 
